Bulls No10 Johan Goosen cops ban after red card in Munster loss

Bulls fly-half Johan Goosen has received a three-match ban following his red card on Saturday against Munster in the United Rugby Championship.

The 13-cap Springbok was sent off by referee Adam Jones after 53 minutes at Loftus Versfeld following a high tackle on Munster scrum-half Craig Casey in a 27-22 win for the visitors.

He was charged this week with contravening Law 9.13 at a hearing – 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.

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Following the disciplinary hearing, the URC confirmed that the 31-year-old has been banned for three matches.

The statement read: “In the Player’s responses to the Judicial Officer overseeing the disciplinary process (Sheriff Kathrine Mackie, Scotland), he had accepted that he had committed an act of foul play which warranted a Red Card.

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“Sheriff Mackie found that the incident met the Red Card threshold, with entry of mid-range warranting six weeks. The Player received three weeks (50%) mitigation due to his good record and apology to the player which results in a three game suspension.”

Goosen will now miss home fixtures against the Ospreys, Glasgow Warriors and Benetton, although he will be able to return a week early should he complete the World Rugby Coaching Intervention Programme.

That means Goosen is likely to miss two of the Bulls’ last four matches of the regular URC season.

The Bulls slipped to fourth place in the URC table with the loss to Munster, and now only hold a four-point lead over fifth-place Benetton. While they remain in place to book a home quarter-final, they will be without their fly-half for the visit from second-place Glasgow, who will be vying for the top spot in the league.