Two-week ban for Barrett
Blues flank Kane Barrett has been slapped with a two-week ban for stamping in his team's 16-26 loss to the Chiefs at the weekend.
Barrett pleaded guilty after appearing before SANZAR judicial officer Nicholas Davidson.
The Blues loose forward was accused of twice contravening Law 10.4 (b): Stamping or trampling.
Barrett was cited in one instance and red-carded in another during the Super Rugby match at Eden Park in Auckland.
Barrett has been suspended from all forms of the game up to and including August 1, an effective two-week ban.
The cited incident occurred in the 20th minute and the red card incident in the 22nd minute of the match.
In his finding Davidson ruled that the more serious incident was the one for which he was cited.
"The red card incident was a deliberate stamping to the body, being the first of three movements of Barrett’s foot to the shoulder and then torso area of a Chiefs player he believed to be lying over the ball," Davidson said.
"It was ineffectual and carried little or no danger.
"The Citing incident involved reckless application of the foot to the face of another Chiefs player as Barrett was seeking to release a ball out of a ruck, resulting in a small abrasion but no other influence on the game."
Applying the totality principle, and following discussion with Aaron Lloyd, Counsel for Barrett, the judicial officer adopted a lower end entry point for the citing incident, of two weeks suspension, but increased that to allow for the aggravating feature of the red card incident, and the need to hold players to account for injury or potential injury to the head.
This increased the sanction to a three week period of suspension, but Barrett was entitled to mitigation of one week, for his acceptance of the breaches, and the position indicated by the judicial officer.
He has a very good disciplinary record, and is well spoken of by his coach, John Kirwan.
It appears to be an incident out of keeping with his disciplinary conduct and better is expected of him.
He is to captain the Taranaki NPC team.
