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Hurricanes' hooker woes worsen with Tuputupu suspension

Raymond Tuputupu of the Hurricanes. Photo by Hagen Hopkins/Getty Images

The Hurricanes will be without hooker Raymond Tuputupu for three weeks following a foul play review committee’s ruling on Wednesday.

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The suspension rules the 21-year-old out of both of the Hurricanes’ confirmed upcoming contests – round 15 against the Highlanders and the quarter-final against an opponent yet to be decided – as well as a potential semi-final fixture.

Should the Hurricanes make the final, the youngster will be available.

Having enjoyed a promotion to the starting unit since All Blacks Asafo Aumua’s injury, Tuputupu’s impending absence strikes another blow to the Hurricanes after the departure of club icon Dane Coles following last year’s Rugby World Cup.

Tuputupu was handed a red card for his tackle attempt on the Chiefs’ Tupou Vaa’i in the sixth minute. That decision was upheld by the foul play review committee.

“In the FPRC’s view, no sudden or significant change in height or direction, a late change in dynamics (or any other relevant mitigating factor set out within the head contact process) to result in mitigation sufficient to downgrade the incident to a yellow card.”

An early guilty plea, as well as Tuputupu’s prior record and expression of remorse, mitigated the ban down from the mid-range entry point of six weeks.

Despite the 20-minute red card, the Hurricanes stoically wrestled momentum in their favour for the first time in the contest while down a man, even claiming the first points of the game through a linebreak from Tuputupu’s explosive front-row partner Xavier Numia.

Even with another yellow car later in the game to winger Kini Naholo, the Hurricanes went on to win the derby and draw even with the Blues at the top of the Super Rugby Pacific table, with a chance to claim the top seed this weekend against the Highlanders.

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Nickers 157 days ago

This is so harsh. Tuputupu went into the tackle very low, if Vaa’i had been standing at full height it probably would have made contact around mid thigh.

There has to be some consideration of how low the ball carrier’s head it going into contact. In this case Vaa’i’s bent so far forward and down going into the tackle that his head can’t have been more than 70cm above the ground. Virtually impossible to make a legal tackle when the ball carrier is in the position.

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Bull Shark 6 minutes ago
Rassie Erasmus' Boks selection policy is becoming bizarre

To be fair, the only thing that drives engagement on this site is over the top critiques of Southern Hemisphere teams.


Or articles about people criticizing southern hemisphere teams.


Articles regarding the Northern Hemisphere also tend to be more positive than critical. I guess to also rile up kiwis and Saffers who seem to be the majority of followers in the comments section.


Despite being dialled into the Northern edition - I know sweet fokall about what’s going on in France.


And even less than fokall about what’s cutting in Japan - which has a fast growing, increasingly premium League competition emerging.


And let’s not talk about the pacific. Do they even play rugby Down there.


Oh and the Americas. I’ve read more articles about a young, stargazing Welshman’s foray into NFL than I have anything related to either the north and south continents of the Americas.


I will give credit that the women’s game is getting g decent airtime. But pat of the above is just pathetic coming from a World Rugby website.


Just consider the innovation emerging in Japan with the pedigree of coaches over there.


There’s so much good we could be reading.


Instead it’s unimaginative “critical for the sake of feigning controversial”. Which is lazy, because in order to pull that off all you need to be really good at is:


1. Being a doos;

2. Having an opinion.


No prior experience needed.


Which is not journalism. That’s like all or most of us in the comments section.


Anyway. Hopefully it will get better. The game is growing and the interest in the game is growing. Maybe it will attract more qualified journalists over time.

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