‘Deliberate physical abuse’: Fiji star gets hefty ban

After striking Melbourne lock Josh Canham during the Rebels’ 41-20 victory on Friday, the Fijian Drua No. 9 was given a red card.

According to the Super Rugby Pacific Foul Play Review Committee, Lomani’s punishment would have been significantly greater had he not entered a guilty plea.
The statement stated that the elbow strike to the back of the victim player’s head, inflicting harm, was considered a top-end range offense, and that 10 weeks was the entry point for this offense.

“The victim player had little to no capacity to protect himself and was in a very vulnerable position.

Due to the player’s early guilty plea and other pertinent mitigating circumstances, a discount was granted.

“The committee emphasized that this type of incident is not tolerated in any form of the game when it sanctioned the player.”

Lomani participated in 27 Rebels games in 2020 and 2021.

The committee determined that there was “limited contact with the head” in the case of his teammate Jone Koroiduadua, who was also sent off for a headbutt and was banned for two games.

Strangely, Lomani’s next available game is the Drua’s final-round regular-season matchup with the Rebels in Fiji.

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