South Africa have received a major boost ahead of Saturday's huge Quilter Nations Series meeting with Ireland in Dublin, after a disciplinary committee overturned Franco Mostert’s controversial red card against Italy last weekend.
The versatile forward was shown a straight red card following an alleged high tackle on Italy out-half Paolo Garbisi during the first half of the game, although the Springboks would go on to win 32-14.
It was the second straight red card in as many games for the world champions, who also had second row Lood de Jager sent off in their previous week’s win against France. De Jager was last week suspended for four weeks for that tackle.
Mostert is free to play this week though, after the Springboks challenged the red card at an independent disciplinary hearing.
While the committee acknowledged there had been minor contact with the head of Garbisi it did not meet the red card threshold.
"The evidence established that the initial contact made by the player was directly to the shoulder of Italy 10 with there being 'daylight’ between the shoulder contact and head/neck area of Italy 10," the committee said.
"Head contact was then found to have occurred, but was found to be secondary to the initial shoulder contact and made with much lower force and without the requisite level of ‘danger’ required under World Rugby’s Head Contact Process to make the offending reach the red card threshold."
The incident has put further scrutiny on World Rugby’s disciplinary processes, with Mostert joining Ireland’s Tadhg Beirne and Japan’s Harry Hockings in having high-profile re cards rescinded during this international window.
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