Ireland’s Andrew Porter is staring down disciplinary action after a tackle that left All Blacks star Brodie Rettalick with a broken cheekbone during the away side’s 33-22 series winner.
The prop was initially given a yellow card by referee Wayne Barnes for the contact, though he has since been pinged by match citing commissioner James Sherriff.
Porter is expected to have a disciplinary hearing on Wednesday (AEST) where he could face a match ban.
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“Ireland prop Andrew Porter will attend an independent disciplinary hearing after having been cited by the citing commissioner James Sherriff (Australia) for an act of foul play contrary to Law 9.13 (a player must not tackle an opponent early, late or dangerously) during Ireland’s test match against New Zealand on July 16,” said World Rugby in a statement.
“The player will attend a hearing via video link before an independent judicial committee chaired by Adam Casselden (Australia), joined by former international player Stefan Terblanche (South Africa) and former international coach Frank Hadden (Scotland).”
With a six- to eight-week recovery, Retallick is expected to miss the start of the Rugby Championship for the All Blacks who begin their campaign in South Africa next month.
“Cheekbone is all back together thanks to the staff at Hawkes Bay hospital, very thankful as it’s a busy place at the moment,” Retallick wrote in an Instagram post on Monday. “A few weeks needed to let it heal up.”
The incident between Porter and Rettalick in Wellington came just a week after Angus Ta’avao was red carded and subsequently given a three-week ban for a nasty head-on-head clash. Given the precedent, Porter could well cop a similar punishment.
A nasty clash with Ireland’s Garry Ringrose in Dunedin left both players spread out on the field, Ta’avao copping a concussion to add salt to the wounds.
Ireland’s latest win was only their second on New Zealand turf, which cemented a two-one series triumph.
The men in green have subsequently moved to the top of the World Rugby rankings over France and South Africa while the All Blacks sit at an all-time low fourth.
New Zealand has lost four of its last five matches, putting pressure on incumbent coach Ian Foster.
A handful of potential replacements are waiting in the wings, although a New Zealand Rugby statement seemed to suggest Foster will stay for the time being.