Former Melbourne Rebels halfback Frank Lomani has been slapped with a six-game ban for his shocking elbow against his former side at the weekend.
The Fijian Drua No.9 was red carded for his strike on Melbourne lock Josh Canham during the Rebels’ 41-20 win at AAMI Park on Friday night.
The Super Rugby Pacific Foul Play Review Committee said Lomani would have been hit with an even larger suspension but for his guilty plea.
“The entry point for the offence was 10 weeks, assessed as top-end range for intentional and deliberate physical abuse of striking with an elbow to the back of the victim player’s head and causing injury,” their statement read.
“The victim player was in an incredibly vulnerable position with limited ability, if any, to defend himself.
“The player was given a discount for entering an early guilty plea and other relevant mitigating factors.
“In providing the player the sanction, the committee emphasised that this sort of incident is not tolerated in any form of the game.”
Lomani played 27 games for the Rebels between 2020 and 2021.
His teammate Jone Koroiduadua, who was also sent off for a headbutt, received a two-game ban with the committee finding “limited contact with the head”.
Ironically, the next match Lomani is available for is the Drua hosting the Rebels in Fiji in the last round of the regular season.
