The Disciplinary process related to Lorenzo Pani’s Red Card in the Vodacom United Rugby Championship Round 11 game against Benetton on Saturday, December 31, 2022 has resulted in a three week suspension.
After an act of foul play against Benetton player No.15 (Minozzi Matteo), referee Federico Vedovelli showed the Player a Red Card in the 32nd minute of the game under Law 9.13 – A player must not tackle an opponent early, late or dangerously. Dangerous tackling includes, but is not limited to, tackling or attempting to tackle an opponent above the line of the shoulders even if the tackle starts below the line of the shoulders.
The Judicial Officer found that each of the officials referred to their having been a lift in the tackle and given that the offending was of the nature specifically envisaged in Law 9.18 (A player must not lift an opponent off the ground and drop or drive that player so that their head and/or upper body make contact with the ground), the Judicial Officer decided to amend the offence from Law 9.13 to Law 9.18.
In the Player’s responses to the Judicial Officer overseeing the disciplinary process, he had accepted that he had committed an act of foul play which warranted a Red Card. The Judicial Officer decided that the offending was at the low-end of seriousness (in the context of Law 9.18), which carried an entry point sanction of six weeks. The Player received three weeks’ mitigation as a result of his early acceptance of the Red Card, good record and apology to Benetton’s Minozzi Matteo. The Judicial Officer found that there were no aggravating factors present. This results in a three game suspension.
Fixtures Lorenzo Pani is unavailable for:
- Edinburgh Rugby v Zebre Parma 7 January 2023, Vodacom URC
- Zebre Parma v Bristol Bears 14 January 2023, EPCR Challenge Cup
- RC Toulon v Zebre Parma 20 January 2023, EPCR Challenge Cup
