Australia centre Tevita Kuridrani banned for five weeks

Australia centre Tevita Kuridrani has received a five-week suspension for a dangerous tackle on Ireland's Peter O'Mahony in

Australia's 32-15 victory last Saturday in Dublin. Kuridrani received a straight red card for the tackle in the 72nd minute and appeared at an International Rugby Board disciplinary hearing yesterday.

The suspension ruled Kuridrani out of Australia’s final two games on their end of season tour against Scotland and Wales, placing greater pressure on coach Ewen McKenzie’s playing stocks.

McKenzie suspended six players from their game against Scotland and warned a further nine after they breached team protocols in the lead-up to the Ireland Test.

IRB disciplinary officer Lorne Crerar determined Kuridrani’s tackle had warranted a suspension at the mid-point of the IRB’s entry range for sanctions of eight weeks.

He added an additional week to reflect the need for a deterrent for the type of tackle though allowed mitigation of four weeks to reflect Kuridrani’s previous good disciplinary record. The Wallabies team said they would need to see the written decision before deciding whether to appeal.