Unrepentant Tuqiri cops 5-match ban

Lote Tuqiri was found guilty of a dangerous tackle on Richie McCaw. Picture / Dean Purcell

Wallabies wing Lote Tuqiri was unrepentant last night after being banned from rugby until November 2.

Tuqiri was effectively sidelined for five games by a Sanzar judicial committee for his dangerous tackle on All Blacks captain Richie McCaw during Saturday's Bledisloe Cup test at Eden Park.

Tuqiri will miss Australia's final Tri-Nations test against South Africa in three weeks' time, three games for New South Wales against the Brumbies, the Queensland Reds and the Perth Force next month and the opening game of Australia's Northern Hemisphere tour in November against the Welsh club Ospreys.

He will be free to play the opening test of the tour, against Wales on November 4.

McCaw was picked up and driven back and downwards early in the second half of the All Blacks Tri-Nations-securing 34-27 win. "I was trying to drive him towards the other line," Tuqiri said last night.

"His upper body lost control of where he was at and, unfortunately, he landed awkwardly. I thought it [the suspension] was a bit harsh but I'll cop it."

Tuqiri was cited by South African commissioner Willem Venter, the same official who found no case to answer over the tour-ending tackle put on Lions captain Brian O'Driscoll by All Blacks Tana Umaga and Keven Mealamu a year ago. O'Driscoll suffered a broken collarbone in the first minute of the opening test in Christchurch.

The judicial panel, chaired by Peter Ingwersen of South Africa and including New Zealanders Chris Morris and Ash Edwards, judged the tackle "dangerous and placed the tackled player in a vulnerable position".

Tuqiri is considering an appeal and said he had written to McCaw explaining there was no malice meant. McCaw admitted he "got a bit of a fright" landing in the tackle. He accepted players in his position had to expect "a fair bit of attention" from the opposition, both legal and illegal.

"I've certainly felt that before and I guess there are going to be times when I feel it again," McCaw said.

He flew out to South Africa with half the All Black squad yesterday. The other half leave today.

All Blacks coach Graham Henry offered qualified support for Tuqiri. He felt Tuqiri did not aim to deliberately hurt McCaw.

"It's one of those things that can happen," he said. "People are pretty psyched up to do the business.

"I understand the difficulty of the spear tackle and the damage it can cause and the need to cut it out of the game. But I can understand it happening occasionally."

Asked how to combat teams targeting his world class flanker for special attention, Henry said it was "very difficult. I guess Richie is more accustomed to it as time goes on."

- Additional reporting Errol Kiong