The saga concerning CJ Stander's disciplinary hearing and his fate for the remainder of the tour was finally resolved after the judiciary officer, Australian Terry Willis, eventually concluded the hearing late into its second day.
The outcome is that Stander has been suspended for one week following his red card in last Saturday’s first Test, meaning the South African-born flanker will be suspended for next Saturday’s second Test in Johannesburg but will be available again for the third Test in Port Elizabeth on Saturday week.
The Irish management were awaiting the written report, which presumably will be fairly lengthy, before deciding on whether to appeal or not. They have 48 hours to decide. In the interim, they will not be calling up a replacement.
Rarely has a red card so polarised opinion and such have been the complexities of the case that it has effectively run into a third day.
Stander was sent off in the 23rd minute of Ireland's 26-20 win over South Africa last Saturday for colliding with his hip into the head of the Springboks' Pat Lambie in his follow through after jumping in attempt to block the outhalf's chip.
The disciplinary hearing that followed was adjourned by Willis after five hours on Sunday, and again after it was renewed on Monday morning .
This was apparently so as Willis could consult with a sports biomechanics expert after Ireland, who had engaged a South African lawyer who has represented foreign players in disciplinary hearings before, cited another example in the second half. That came when South Africa fullback Willie le Roux made slight contact with Paddy Jackson in attempting to do as Stander had done and when also unable to change direction in mid-air.
Willis, a Sydney-based barrister, is highly experienced in disciplinary hearings in rugby. He has been chairman of the New South Wales RU's judiciary since 1992 and was part of the panel which handed Duncan McRae his 12-week ban for assaulting Ronan O'Gara in the Lions tour of New Zealand in 2001. More recently he banned Seán O'Brien for the World Cup quarter-final for punching Pascal Pape in Ireland's final pool game.
