Matfield cleared to face ‘Tahs

PRETORIA – Bulls lock Victor Matfield has been cleared of foul play after he was cited for striking Brumbies flanker Rocky Elsom around the head during their Super 14 rugby match in Pretoria on Saturday.

Matfield was deemed to have cleared Elsom in a lawful manner after a video review, South Africa New Zealand and Australia Rugby (SANZAR) said in a statement on Tuesday. The Bulls skipper would be available for selection for Saturday’s match against the New South Wales Waratahs in Pretoria. Last year’s champions, the Bulls are undefeated after two rounds.Waikato Chiefs number eight Sione Lauaki, however, has been suspended for two weeks after lifting Lions centre Deon van Rensburg and failing to lower him safely to the ground during their match in Johannesburg on Saturday.Lions lock Willem Stoltz was also suspended for a week for striking Chiefs’ hooker Aled de Malmanche in the face with his elbow during the same match.The Lions are in Wellington to face the Hurricanes on Saturday, while the Chiefs face the Western Force in Perth later on Saturday. Meanwhile, Australia coach Robbie Deans has praised the officiating in the early rounds of the Super 14 season, saying the emphasis on rewarding attack had helped the competition get off to a flying start.The opening two rounds have featured try-heavy matches and high penalty counts as referees have cracked down on defenders failing to release the ball or the tackled player in the breakdown.The new interpretation has polarised opinion, however, with some observers welcoming the glut of tries and others believing the game risked losing substance in favour of style.Deans, who coached the Canterbury Crusaders to five Super titles, said the referees had got the balance between attack and defence right, rating the two-week old season as: ‘probably the best start to a (Super) competition that I can recall’.Fifty-two tries were scored in seven matches in the second round, with a record 18 in the Waikato Chiefs’ 72-65 defeat of the Lions in Johannesburg.That tally smashed the previous mark of 14 set in the Crusaders’ 96-19 victory over the New South Wales Waratahs in 2002. – Nampa-Reuters