A Perth rugby club player's shoulder charge on an unsuspecting referee has led to a 96-game ban.
The ban, reported to be one of the longest handed down in club rugby, will mean the player won't be able to play for nearly five years.
The incident happened in a Western Australia Rugby Premier Grade game between Associates and Perth Bayswater player on April 22 this year.
According to reports from the Sydney Morning Herald yesterday, a Perth Bayswater player, whose name wasn't released by Rugby WA, was responsible for the hit.
Footage from the game taken by a fan shows a player crashing into the back of the unsuspecting referee with his shoulder as the opposition returns a dropout.
Initially the referee thought the action was accidental. However, upon review of the video and witness statements it was later deemed to be deliberate.
“RugbyWA can confirm the suspension of a Perth Bayswater Rugby Club player under the charge of physical abuse of a match official (under law 9.28)," Rugby WA said in a statement.
Perth Bayswater also issued a statement on the ban which was dished out this month.
"We have accepted the decision and we don’t condone what he did. We fully support the decision of the referees’ association, and Rugby WA. We have genuine concerns for referee Ian Sunderland and his injury from the incident, and that was foremost in our own thoughts," club president Darrell Stops told Sydney Morning Herald.
"But at the same time we are trying to support our player, who is not in a good space, and we are trying to support him as best we can."
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