Skelton, Latu suspensions upheld in blow for Waratahs

MELBOURNE (Reuters) - The New South Wales Waratahs' hopes of defending their Super Rugby title suffered a blow with appeals against the suspensions of forwards Will Skelton and Tolu Latu dismissed.

Skelton, Latu suspensions upheld in blow for Waratahs

(Reuters)





The Waratahs appealed a four-week ban to hooker Latu and a two-week sanction for hulking lock Skelton but their suspensions were upheld in full by a judiciary panel late on Thursday.

Latu will miss all three of the Waratahs' final regular season matches and the first week of the playoffs if the Sydney team qualify.

Wallaby lock Skelton will miss both matches of the Waratahs' South Africa tour against the Lions on Saturday and the Cheetahs the week after.

The Waratahs are clinging to a precarious three-point lead over the ACT Brumbies at the top of the Australian conference, meaning a loss in any of their final three matches could put their campaign on a knife-edge.

With Wallabies hooker Tatafu Polota-Nau unavailable due to concussion, Hugh Roach is expected to replace Latu.

Former Wallabies lock Dean Mumm, on a short-term deal after captaining Exeter in the English Premiership, is likely to slot in for Skelton after joining the squad in South Africa this week.









(Reporting by Ian Ransom; Editing by Greg Stutchbury)


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