Blue Bulls U21 lock Marvin Orie has received a one-week suspension for the dangerous tackle that resulted in JD Schickerling breaking his neck.
Orie was cited for tackling Schickerling around the neck and pulling him to the ground. Schickerling also appeared to be on the receiving end of a shoulder charge from Irne Herbst, although Herbst has not been cited for his involvement in the incident.
In his findings, judicial officer Tokkie van Zyl said it was highly improbable that Orie’s actions could have caused the serious neck injury.
'In evaluating the evidence as seen in the video material, it is clear that the player initially tackled the opponent by grabbing him around his arms from behind, thereafter releasing his grip and again grabbed [tackled] the opponent around the neck with his left arm.'
Orie received no sanction on the field for the incident, despite calls by Province players for the referee to refer the incident to the TMO.
'I am further of the opinion that in the event of the conduct of the player having been penalised during the game, it would most probably have resulted in a penalty or a yellow card, but was not in my opinion a red card offence.'
Schickerling is doing well after undergoing two operations, one to relieve the pressure on his spine and another to fuse the vertebrae and stabilise the neck.
Photo: Duif du Toit/Gallo Images
