11-year-old NZ rugby player's two-year ban

A young player has been given a two-and-a-half year ban for attacking a referee during an under-12s rugby game in New Zealand.

An 11-year-old boy has been banned from playing rugby for two-and-a-half years in New Zealand after attacking a referee.

The Auckland Rugby Union on Thursday handed the ban down to the Papatoetoe Rugby Club player over an incident in which he physically abused a referee who gave him a yellow card for a high tackle in a game against Marist Eastern.

But his club have called the ban excessive, saying they will ask for the decision to be reviewed.

"We have respectfully appealed this decision. We feel that a three-season ban is excessive for an 11-year-old boy, given the circumstances surrounding the situation," they said in a statement.

A hearing over the matter was held in July.

The maximum penalty for the offence is a life ban.