JOHANNESBURG – Coastal Sharks centre Francois Steyn has been banned for four matches after the Super 15 governing body successfully appealed a decision not to punish him for a red card.
Steyn, a 2007 Rugby World Cup winner with the Springboks, was sent off on March 21 after tackling Waikato Chiefs and All Blacks fly-half Aaron Cruden dangerously.
The heavier South African lifted his opponent and then flung him to the ground at Kings Park stadium in Indian Ocean city Durban.
A judicial hearing surprisingly cleared Steyn and removed the red card from his record, but the ruling body appealed the verdict.
An appeals committee chaired by Australian Terry Willis and including two lawyers, New Zealander Nigel Hampton and South African Robert Stetnzer, reversed the decision and found Steyn guilty.
Steyn will miss home matches against Canterbury Crusaders and Northern Bulls and away games against the Golden Lions and Otago Highlanders.
He was among three players sent off within 28 minutes of the kick-off in a match won 12-11 by the Sharks.
Sharks skipper Bismarck du Plessis was banned for four matches after kicking an opponent in the head.
Rival hooker Hikawera Elliott got a one-game suspension after shoulder charging an opponent.
The annual Super 15 southern hemisphere inter-provincial championship comprises five teams each from Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.
