Rugby: All Blacks’ Savea suspended over throat-slitting gesture
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Hurricanes captain Ardie Savea (left) has been suspended for a week for a throat-slitting gesture during the match on March 3.
PHOTO: AFP
MELBOURNE – All Blacks enforcer Ardie Savea was quick to regret his throat-slitting gesture towards an opponent
The Hurricanes skipper drew his thumb across his throat as he exchanged words with Melbourne Rebels scrum half Ryan Louwrens during their Super Rugby Pacific match last week.
The loose forward was sanctioned by a judicial panel on Tuesday for going “against the spirit of good sportsmanship”.
“He accepted it pretty much straight away. When he was sitting in the sin bin for 10 minutes (he knew) it was something he shouldn’t have done,” Hurricanes coach Jason Holland told New Zealand media.
“I’m aligned with him on that and to get the one-week sanction is the way it is and we accept it.
“Ardie was sorry and we just have to get on with accepting that and get on with what comes next.”
Savea, who has played 70 Tests for the All Blacks, including four as captain, acknowledged after the game that he lost control and revealed his father had given him a stern dressing down.
“I got off the field and my old man called me and kind of groaned me off, so that’s a lesson learnt,” he told reporters.
“He’s a pretty calm dude, it’s not often I get a call like that after the game.
“Mum was in the crowd too and she asked if I was all good, because usually I’m not like that.”
The loss of Savea is a big blow for the undefeated Hurricanes, who host the 2022 runners-up, the Auckland Blues, at home on Saturday.
Savea was instrumental in the 39-33 win over the Rebels in Melbourne, scoring two tries and setting up another for Josh Moorby before he was yellow carded for his involvement in a melee.
Holland added that he was not sure what led to Savea making the threatening gesture at Louwrens as he walked off to the sin bin.
“I don’t think there was any one thing – it was just a combination of how everything unfolded there with people running in from both sides and a bit of adrenaline going, but as we’ve said, there’s no excuse for where we got to at the end of it,” he said.
“Like all of us, you can be a pretty special leader and still make a mistake and that’s what has happened with Ards (Savea) with a little bit of adrenaline going.”
While Holland and Savea have both accepted the sanction, former All Blacks winger John Kirwan has defended the player and questioned whether the incident was worthy of the judiciary committee.
The same throat-slitting gesture has occasionally featured in the All Blacks pre-game haka.
Savea’s older brother Julian, a former All Blacks winger who played in the Rebels game, also defended his sibling on social media.
“He admitted his wrong doing straight away after the game, apologised and is dealing with the consequences... now MOVE ON people,” he tweeted. REUTERS, AFP
