Ardie Savea is hopeful that he won't face judicial actions for his throat-slitting gesture aimed at a Melbourne Rebels player but conceded it's out of his control if he does.
Savea came under the spotlight last night after his stellar playing performance in the Hurricanes' 39-33 win was marred by an altercation with Rebels halfback Ryan Louwrens as he left the field for a yellow card.
Rather than exit the field immediately, Savea interacted with Louwrens before giving him a throat-slitting gesture - a moment that stunned commentators, Rebels players and fans alike.
Savea apologised for the moment after the match, adding later he had also said sorry to Louwrens.
"It's just the heat of the moment, it's a warrior game but I've got to lead by example, being skip, so I got that wrong," Savea said.
"There was a bit of banter going on and it got the better of me."
Some fans argued on social media that Savea should face time on the sideline for his actions but the 29-year-old hopes that isn't the case.
"I'm not too sure, it's out of my control," he said.
"...I apologised in the post-game (and) I apologised to the player I did it to. It was just (the) heat of the moment. It's a warrior game, but I have to lead by example and it's something I need to learn from and keep growing."
Savea added he'd already faced one punishment - a phonecall from his father.
"I got off the field and my old man called me and kind of growled me off so that's a lesson learnt."
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