The unpredictable SANZAAR judiciary has slapped David Pocock with a two-game suspension, hitting the ACT Brumbies with a massive blow leading into a season-defining stretch of matches.
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Pocock fronted the judiciary on Tuesday morning for less than an hour but it took 10 hours for SANZAAR officials to finalise the wording of his suspension to rule him out of games against the NSW Waratahs and Canterbury Crusaders.
Pocock pleaded guilty to breaching Law 10.4 (e) of playing a player without the ball but he was cleared of contravening Law 10.4 (m) of acting contrary to good sportsmanship in the Brumbies' loss to the Waikato Chiefs last weekend.
Pocock's punishment was reduced from three weeks to two by duty judicial officer Adam Cassleden due to Pocock's "good character, his genuine remorse and his excellent disciplinary record", but the ban will be served over a three-week period regardless given the Brumbies have a bye this weekend.
The SANZAAR judiciary process is known for being the wheel of death for Super Rugby players and clubs privately fear the inconsistent process.
Footage showed Pocock grabbing Chiefs No. 8 Michael Lietch around the neck in a rolling maul in the 74th minute.
The punishment was complicated by a World Rugby crackdown on protecting players' necks, which meant Pocock's suspension could not be reduced any further.
Brumbies coach Stephen Larkham lamented the decision that has left him without his key player, but said it would open the door for someone else to step up.
"It's disappointing to lose a star player, in particular for two massive games, but there are guys who have trained really hard who will get a chance to play," Larkham said.
The Brumbies opted not to explore the option in SANZAAR rulings that allows players to serve a ban in club rugby competition.
Pocock is aligned to the Uni-Norths Owls and they play their first game on Saturday, but the Brumbies did not argue that he would play in the match.
The Super Rugby citing commissioner deemed Pocock's incident had met the red-card threshold and therefore required suspension when heard by Cassleden.
"Having conducted a detailed review of all the available evidence, including all camera angles and additional evidence, including from the player and submissions from his legal representative I accepted the player's admission that he had committed an act of foul play contrary to law 10.4(e)," Cassleden said in his ruling.
"In its memorandum on "dangerous tackles (high tackles), dangerous grasping of neck and/or head area of player not in possession of the ball and dangerous grasping/holding of ball carrier above the line of the shoulder" dated 22 May 2015, World Rugby stated "this type of dangerous play which is foul play must be dealt with severely by match officials and all those involved in the disciplinary process.
"With respect to sanction I deemed the act of foul play merited a low-end entry point of 2 weeks. I then added one week for aggravation due to the need to deter this type of dangerous foul play.
"However, taking into account mitigating factors including the player's early plea, his good character, his genuine remorse and his excellent disciplinary record I reduced the suspension to a period of two weeks."
It leaves a huge hole in the Brumbies' roster for two of their biggest games of the season - a clash against the Waratahs in Sydney on April 16 and an Anzac special against rivals the Crusaders on April 24.
The pain will hit even harder given versatile back-rower Jarrad Butler is still recovering from medial ligament damage in his knee.
The Brumbies will give Butler every chance to make his comeback against the Waratahs, but former Australian sevens player Michael Wells and Jordan Smiler loom as the most likely candidates.
Brumbies lock Rory Arnold said Pocock's absence would be felt, but was confident the club had the depth to cover his role.
"Absolutely it's massive [losing Pocock], just look at the past couple of weeks - he's a freak," Arnold said.
"That will be a massive loss but we've got guys who I'm sure can step into his place and do a good job. JB [Butler] is pretty close now so you have full confidence in whoever is stepping up."
