THE ALL BLACKS may be without the services of hooker Andrew Hore after he smashed his forearm into the face of Welsh lock Bradley Davies.
The hooker was attempting to clear Davies from his path and join a ruck and the Welshman soon felt the full force of his exuberance.
Davies was unsighted and not expecting the blow.
As a consequence, he crumpled to the ground and lay face down on the ground for almost a minute before physio assistance arrived.
Referee Craig Joubert told Wales captain Sam Warburton that the incident had not been spotted by the on-field officials and he was therefore unable to take any on-the-spot action.
Wales coach Warren Gatland, speaking after his side’s 33-10 loss, said, “It didn’t look great. From the initial look at the video, Bradley’s been hit from behind and he’s gone down. That’s something the citing commissioner can have a look at.”
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The incident is not the first time a New Zealand player has got the attention of citing officials during their November tour.
Adam Thomson was yellow carded for a stamp on the prone head of Scotland’s Alasdair Strokosch as he joined a ruck.
The citing commissioner hit Thomson with a one-week ban but the IRB is appealing the leniency of the sentence.
