Banned - Joe Moody pleads guilty to hit that has enraged Australian rugby

The SANZAAR Foul Play Review Committee has accepted a guilty plea from Joe Moody of the Crusaders for his off the ball hit on Kurtley Beale that enraged Australian Rugby.

The incident occurred in the 34th minute of the match when referee Ben O’Keeffe along with the touch judges and television match official failed to notice All Black and Crusaders prop’s cheap shot on Waratahs midfielder Kurtley Beale, taking him out of the play with an elbow to the neck before running in support to score a try.

It has now been found that Moody contravened Law 9.12: Striking with hand or arm.

In his finding, Foul Play Review Committee Chairman Nigel Hampton QC ruled the following: “Having conducted a detailed review of all the available evidence, including all camera angles and a statement from the player, and submissions from his legal representative, Aaron Lloyd, the Foul Play Review Committee upheld the citing under Law 9.12.”

“With respect to sanction the Foul Play Review Committee deemed the act of foul play merited a mid-range entry point of 4 weeks due to the dangerous contact with the opposing Player’s head. However, taking into account mitigating factors including the Player’s excellent judicial record, good character and guilty plea at the earliest possible opportunity, the Foul Play Review Committee reduced the suspension to 2 weeks.”

“The player is therefore suspended for 2 weeks, up to and including Friday 25 May 2018.”

The hit lead former Wallaby Stephen Hoiles believes that Australian Super Rugby teams need to get better at cheating if they are to compete with New Zealand sides.

The 16-test Wallaby didn’t hold back after several questionable calls spoiled the Waratahs’ chances of securing their first win in Christchurch in 14 years and the first Australian win against a New Zealand side in 38 matches.

“The reality is, we’ve got to start cheating better,” Hoiles said on Fox Sports after the match.

“That’s what we as Aussies need to do. We need to start running players off the ball.

“We have to be a little bit craftier off the ball. That’s what Australian rugby needs to do. We can’t let the referee make all these decisions.”

“That’s an elbow to the throat of a player unprotected. It’s a red-card offence. The try should not be scored. The guy should not be on the field,” analyst and former Wallaby Rod Kafer said during the Fox Sports broadcast of the match.

Moody’s try started the Crusaders’ historic comeback as they erased a 29-point deficit in 50 minutes to complete the biggest comeback in Super Rugby history.