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Wallabies flanker Dean Mumm has been handed a one-match ban for foul play during his team’s third Bledisloe Cup Test loss to the All Blacks.
Mumm pleaded guilty to a charge of striking after being cited for the 52nd-minute incident which was missed by referee Nigel Owens.
The ban means he will miss the November 5 Test against Wales in Cardiff.
Duty judicial officer Robert Stelzner said Mumm had elbowed Brodie Retallick after he had been held back by the All Blacks lock.
New Zealand won the Test 37-10 at Auckland’s Eden Park on Saturday night to sweep the series 3-0.
“Having conducted a detailed review of all the available evidence including submissions from his legal representative, I accepted the player’s admission that he had committed an act of foul play contrary to law 10.4(a),” he said.
“With respect to sanction I deemed the act of foul play merited a low-end entry point of two weeks.
“Part of the reasoning was that the player acted instinctively in retaliation to his being illegally held back by his opponent upon trying to rejoin play. His opponent was behind him when he tried to extricate himself from his opponent’s grip and in that process struck his opponent in the face with his elbow.
“The injury, which his opponent suffered as a result of the incident, did not prevent his opponent from playing on at the time of the incident.
“However, taking into account mitigating factors including the player’s early plea and his excellent disciplinary record, I reduced the suspension to a period of one week.”
Michael Cheika disagreed with the sanction, speaking briefly at Sydney airport:
“He [the commissioner] is not looking at all at the action… [Mumm was] trying to get away from being held back illegally in the ruck, so we’ll see what happens tonight and after the decisions start to flow, we’ll talk a bit more about it then.”
Join The Roar rugby editor Christy Doran, former Wallaby Matt Toomua and a cast of regular and special guests as they look at the biggest issues in the game on The Roar Rugby Podcast. If you’re looking for great odds on the next game check out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.