Super Rugby Round 15 - Foul Play
Bjorn Basson cleared of lifting tackle
ESPN Staff
May 28, 2013
The Bulls' Flip van der Merwe takes a drink, Bulls v New South Wales Waratahs, Super Rugby, Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria, April 27, 2013
Flip van der Merwe was disciplined for rucking Keegan Daniel © Getty Images
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Bulls winger Bjorn Basson is free to continue playing Super Rugby after a SANZAR judicial hearing found him not guilty of a dangerous tackle on Sharks fly-half Patrick Lambie in Durban on Saturday.

Basson received a yellow card in the match, on the touch judge's recommendation, but the citing commissioner "deemed in his opinion the incident had met the red card threshold for foul play" and handed the player an off-field red card. The judicial hearing, however, found Basson not guilty of contravening Law 10.4 (j) Dangerous Tackling - Lifting Tackling.

SANZAR judicial officer Adam Casselden said in a statement: "Having heard the evidence of the player and having watched the video footage a number of times of the incident I was not satisfied, on the balance of probabilities, that Mr Basson was in breach of Law 10.4 (j) of the Laws of the Game. In forming this view I was ably assisted by Mike Mika, who formed a similar view which was that I could not disregard the evidence of Mr Basson that he was trying to hold the tackled player up but lost control when he lost his grip. The citing was not upheld."

Radike Samo, meanwhile, was issued an off-field yellow card for a lifting tackle on Louis Schreuder in the 28th minute of Queensland Reds' Super Rugby match against the Stormers at Newlands on Saturday. Referee Jaco Peyper did not act upon the incident, but the citing commissioner decided that Samu had contravened Law 10.4 (j) Dangerous Tackling - Lifting Tackling and deemed an off-field yellow card was appropriate.

Bulls lock Flip van der Merwe was given an off-field yellow card for rucking Keegan Daniel during the match at Shark Park.

© ESPN Australia / New Zealand

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