Mumm banned for striking Retallick
Wallabies flanker Dean Mumm has received a one-match ban for striking All Blacks lock Brodie Retallick during Saturday’s Bledisloe Cup test in Auckland.
Duty judicial officer Robert Stelzner accepted an early guilty plea from Mumm, who will miss the Wallabies test against Wales on November 5.
Video footage of the incident in the 52nd minute showed Mumm lashing out at Retallick’s head or neck area with his left elbow after the All Blacks lock pulled him away from a ruck. Retallick was floored by the impact and stayed down on the Eden Park turf, but played on.
Mumm was cited for contravening Law 10.4 (a) which covers striking an opponent with the fist or arm, including the elbow, shoulder, head or knee(s).
Retallick is in doubt for the All Blacks’ tour opener against Ireland in Chicago on November 5 and needs to pass concussion protocols to be cleared after what appears to be another heavy contact later in the match. Wellington’s Vaea Fifita is on standby should Retallick fail the tests.
In an NZ Rugby statement, Stelzner said Mumm’s act of foul play merited a low-end entry point of two weeks.
‘‘Part of the reasoning was that the player acted instinctively in retaliation to his being illegally held back by his opponent upon trying to rejoin play. His opponent was behind him when he tried to extricate himself from his opponent’s grip and in that process struck his opponent in the face with his elbow. The injury, which his opponent suffered as a result of the incident, did not prevent his opponent from playing on at the time of the incident.
‘‘However, taking into account mitigating factors including the player’s early plea and his excellent disciplinary record, I reduced the suspension to a period of one week.’’