Cheetahs centre Nico Lee has been banned for 13 weeks after admitting that ge 'cleared the contents of his nose onto the face of an opposing player'. Classy.
The incident took place in the recent Guinness Pro14 clash between Connacht and the South African outfit at The Sportsgrounds, with Connacht emerging victorious on a scoreline of 24-17.
In the clip below, Lee can be seen standing over flanker Colby Fainga’a in a ruck, and appearing to pause to blow his nose on the player on the ground before continuing on.
The incident was investigated by the league's disciplinary committee, who banned the player for 13 weeks and had this to say:
The Player’s actions are an act of foul play. They have no place in the game. This is not a case of over-exuberance, or an act which is within the rules of the game going awry. It follows that by its nature this act is one that is deserving of punishment. It is contrary to the spirit of sport.
The effect on the victim player was understandably serious. There is no expectation, and there ought never be an expectation, that an opposing player would clear the contents of their nose onto an opponent.
It was deemed to be a red card offence, which carries a maximum ban of 26 weeks. Lee's admission of guilt would see the punishment halved, and the player has since taken to Twitter to apologise for his 'act of stupidity'.
Nico Lee apologize
@PRO14Officialhttps://t.co/E4BXi69qZU pic.twitter.com/7bOkiRpsRJ— Toyota Cheetahs (@CheetahsRugby) February 20, 2019
It was certainly an unsavoury incident, even if there was no risk of any real harm to the player involved. The win was an important one for Connacht, moving them into third place in Conference 'A' of the Pro14. The Cheetahs meanwhile sit in sixth place in the same conference.
