Rory Keane reports from Johannesburg
IRELAND BACK ROW CJ Stander will be forced to wait until tomorrow to learn his fate after being red carded in the win over South Africa in Cape Town yesterday.
Australian judicial officer Terry Willis deliberated for five hours at a disciplinary hearing in Cape Town this morning but could not reach a decision on whether Stander will be be suspended.
Stander was sent off by referee Mathieu Raynal in the 23rd minute of Ireland’s 26-20 victory over the Boks after colliding heavily with the head of South African out-half Pat Lambie as he leaped in an apparent attempt to block a kick.
Raynal red carded Stander after a consultation with his TMO that involved replays in both slow motion and real time.
It was expected that a decision on whether to ban Stander or not would be reached in Cape Town today but Willis has instead adjourned the hearing until 10am local time in Johannesburg tomorrow.
The Springboks confirmed this morning that Lambie will miss the second Test next weekend as he takes a mandatory one-week rest after the head injury.
X-rays on Lambie yesterday “showed no abnormality,” but the Boks’ medical team say he will “undergo further scans as a precaution.”
Speaking after Ireland’s win in Newlands Stadium, Joe Schmidt indicated his belief that Stander had been harshly treated by Raynal.
“I thought the red card was very, very harsh to be honest,” said Schmidt.
“CJ’s got both hands extended, once you’re in the air you can’t change your trajectory. The one thing I would say, I think Pat Lambie’s a super player, I certainly hope that Pat’s OK. I know CJ and Pat are friends, and that they know each other.”
Schmidt was hopeful that no further sanction would come for Stander.
“We’re going to find out in the next couple of days what, if any, consequences there are from his attempted charge-down,” said Schmidt.
“So, we’d be delighted to get him back if that’s possible. If we don’t, this is a 32-man squad, there are 32 players working to try and be selected and it means somebody else will step up and fill the breach.”
