The Bulls will have to do without wing Sebastian de Klerk against Zebre on Saturday after he received a two-match ban on Thursday.
The No 14 went chasing after a high ball from the Pretoria side against Leinster last weekend, but only ended up taking out wing Andrew Osborne in the 74th minute.
He was given a straight red card by referee Ben Whitehouse, which made the closing stages even nervier for the Bulls.
But Jake White’s team managed to secure a 21-20 victory in the end, as a massive shove at a scrum won them a penalty, and centre David Kriel stepped up to slot the match-clinching three-pointer.
“During his disciplinary hearing led by John Kirk, De Klerk was found guilty of foul play for his 74th-minute mistake under Law 9.17, which states, ‘A player must not tackle, charge, pull, push or grasp an opponent whose feet are off the ground’,” the United Rugby Championship organisers said in a statement on Thursday.
“Kirk found that the incident met the red card threshold, with a low-end entry point, which warrants a four-week ban.
“At the hearing, Sebastian accepted that he committed an act of foul play, which warranted a red card.
“Based on mitigation, he was subsequently given a two-week/game suspension due to his immediate apology on the field and throughout.
“His good record and exemplary conduct throughout the disciplinary process also helped him receive a 50% suspension of his sanction.”
That means De Klerk will miss out on Saturday’s clash against Zebre at Loftus Versfeld, as well as next weekend’s Challenge Cup last-16 encounter against Bayonne in France.
He should return to action possibly the following week if the Bulls reach the Challenge Cup quarter-finals, or on April 19 against Munster in Limerick in the URC.
White has a number of options out wide that he can employ in De Klerk’s absence, including Canan Moodie, Devon Williams and Sergeal Petersen.
