New Zealand winger, Stanley Solomon, has received a two-match sanction for a dangerous tackle in their match against France on 14 July, 2024 in the semi-final of the World Rugby U20 Championship taking place in South Africa.

The World Rugby U20 Championship and U20 Trophy are operating the simplified red card sanction trial, an initiative born from the Shape of the Game forum earlier this year aimed at simplifying rugby’s off-field disciplinary processes.

A Red Card Sanction Committee (RCSC) found that the offending was an error in technique which satisfied the definition of “foul play” under the new process. Foul play is defined as circumstances where a player has attempted to affect a legal rugby action and/or has committed a reckless action but has made minor errors such as in technique or timing.

The RCSC met on 15 July, 2024, and was chaired by Jennifer Donovan (Ireland), joined by panel members John Langford (Australia) and Stefan Terblanche (South Africa). Having considered all the available evidence, and all available camera angles, the RCSC found the offending warranted a 2 match standard sanction for “foul play”. This sanction was accepted by the player.

The player is therefore suspended for the following matches:

• Ireland v New Zealand – 19 July, 2024
• Wellington v Taranaki, NPC warm-up – ­27 July, 2024

For more information on the red card sanction trial, click here.