Rebels lock picks up suspension for dangerous tackle during win over Force

Melbourne Rebels lock Ross Haylett-Petty has been suspended for three weeks for a dangerous tackle during their tight Super Rugby AU win over the Western Force.

Haylett-Petty was red-carded late in the match for striking Force flanker Tomas Lezana in the head with his shoulder as he went in to tackle.

The 27-year-old’s dismissal didn’t have an impact on the final outcome of the match, as the Rebels went on to win 10-7 in a tightly-contested affair at HBF Park in Perth.

Brumbies coach Dan McKellar and captain Tom Cusack speak to media after loss to Reds

Brumbies coach Dan McKellar and captain Tom Cusack speak to media after loss to Reds

However, the Rebels will be without their second rower for the next three matches after he was handed a three-week suspension by the SANZAAR foul play review committee for his indiscretion.

The committee said Haylett-Petty had contravened Law 9.13, which states: “A player must not tackle an opponent early, late or dangerously. Dangerous tackling includes, but is not limited to, tackling or attempting to tackle an opponent above the line of the shoulders even if the tackle starts below the line of the shoulders.”

The committee added that Haylett-Petty’s action merited a six-week suspension, the entry point for any dangerous tackle that involves contact to the head, but his clean disciplinary record and early guilty plea slashed the length of his ban in half.

As a result, Haylett-Petty will miss Friday night’s AAMI Park clash with the Waratahs followed by a home clash with the Queensland Reds and then a home meeting with the Force.

The Rebels currently lie in third place on the Super Rugby AU standings with one win from three matches.