Highlander Withy suspended following red card against Force

Highlanders loose forward Sean Withy has been suspended for three weeks for an act of foul play during his team’s 29-20 loss to the Force in Perth.

Withy was found guilty of reckless or dangerous play in contravention of Law 9.11 after one of his knees made contact with the face of Harry Potter as the Force wing scored a try which put his side ahead.

Withy was shown a yellow card which was upgraded to red.

Super Rugby’s foul play review committee “determined the mid-range entry point of six weeks/matches was appropriate for the incident.

“In light of the player accepting he committed an act of foul play as well as mitigating factors such as his prior disciplinary record, the foul play review committee applied the full 50 per cent reduction in sanction.”

Withy was also given permission to take part in World Rugby's “Coaching Intervention Programme” as a substitute for the final match of the sanction, meaning he may be banned for only two matches.

Withy has been suspended from all forms of the game for three weeks, which will apply to the following Super Rugby Pacific matches:

- Highlanders v Fijian Drua, Saturday 12 April 2025

- Chiefs v Highlanders, Saturday 19 April 2025

- Highlanders v Crusaders, Saturday 26 April 2025

The Highlanders are ninth on the table with two wins from seven matches.