Reds lose Suliasi Vunivalu after copping ban for tripping
The Reds will be without Suliasi Vunivalu for their penultimate Super Rugby Pacific home game against the Western Force after being dished a one-match ban.
Vunivalu was dealt back-to-back yellow cards for tripping in the Reds' latest match against the Fijian Drua in Suva.
The former Melbourne Storm player was given a red card as a result and SANZAAR deemed the offence warranted a week off.
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The Foul Play Review Committee (FPRC) found Vunivalu had contravened law 9.12, which states, "A player must not physically abuse anyone. Physical abuse includes, but is not limited to tripping."
Suliasi Vunivalu of the Queensland Reds during the round 13 Super Rugby Pacific match against the Fijian Drua. Pita Simpson via Getty Images
FPRC chairman Stephen Hardy ruled, "The FPRC assessed the player's actions as including two separate foul play actions of tripping.
"The FPRC have found these actions as amounting to persistent offending under law 9.12, which warrants an entry point suspension of two weeks."
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"The player was given a 50 per cent discount for entering an early guilty plea (and other relevant mitigating factors including remorse and prior disciplinary record), reducing the suspension from two weeks to one week."
It's a tough pill to swallow for the Wallabies winger.
With a wealth of options, a week on the sidelines could be a bitter blow for Vunivalu's hopes of being selected by Joe Schmidt for the upcoming July series against Wales and Georgia.
