Italy pair handed bans for horror tackle on Vermeulen

Italy props Andrea Lovotti and Nicola Quaglio have both been banned following an incident during Friday’s World Cup clash against South Africa.

Lovotti was sent off by referee Wayne Barnes for a lifting tackle on Springboks number eight Duane Vermeulen, while Quaglio was cited for his involvement in the same tackle that saw Vermeulen dropped head first to the ground.

Both players attended a disciplinary hearing in Tokyo on Sunday and were suspended for three matches.

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In a statement World Rugby said: “Lovotti admitted the act of foul play and accepted that it warranted a red card.

“Quaglio accepted that he had committed an act of foul play, but denied that it met the red card threshold.

“Having considered all the evidence and after hearing from the players and their legal representative, the panel upheld the citing against Quaglio and imposed a sanction of three matches for both players.”

They will miss Italy’s final group game against New Zealand next Saturday as part of their bans.

Watch: RugbyPass goes off the beaten track in Japan.