Brumbies' Speight suspended for 5 weeks

Brumbies winger Henry Speight has been suspended for five weeks after being found guilty of a lifting tackle by SANZAR officials.

ACT Brumbies winger Henry Speight

Brumbies winger Henry Speight has been suspended for five weeks for a dangerous lifting tackle. (AAP)

Wallabies and Brumbies winger Henry Speight will miss the rest of the Super Rugby finals and the first two Rugby Championship Test matches after being suspended for five weeks.

SANZAR announced the penalty on Wednesday after earlier finding Speight guilty of a dangerous lifting tackle on Stormers centre Juan de Jongh in his side's qualifying final win in Cape Town on Saturday.

He has been ruled out of the Brumbies' Super Rugby semi-final against the Hurricanes in Wellington on Saturday and the final the following week if they win.

He'll also sit out the opening Rugby Championship Tests against South Africa in Brisbane on July 18 and versus Argentina in Mendoza on July 25.

Speight earned a two-week discount for a previously unblemished disciplinary record over his career.

But SANZAR said there was an ongoing need to deter such dangerous play which carried a real risk of serious injury, resulting in an extra two weeks on the base penalty.

"A five-week suspension up to and including the match between Australia and Argentina on 25 July 2015 will therefore result in him missing four matches," SANZAR judicial officer Robert Stelzner SC said in a statement.

Brumbies prop Scott Sio said earlier Speight would be missed both in attack and defence.

"We lose a lot there, but the best thing about our squad is that we've got guys like Robbie Coleman, James Dargaville, Nigel Ah Wong ... who all have something different if they're called upon to replace Henry," he said.

The Brumbies will name a replacement on Thursday.


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Source: AAP


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