Rugby ball. Photo: Sky Sport.
A Rugby Union player has been banned for 96 weeks after being found guilty of physically abusing a referee.
Reports say in a footage the unnamed Perth Bayswater player knocked referee Ian Sunderland to the ground during a Premier Grade match on 22 April.
Rugby Western Australia has said the ban equates to almost five years as it is served only during the rugby season.
BBC reports that no action was taken during the game in Western Australia as it was initially deemed accidental, but the action was later determined to be deliberate, and the player was cited.
The player was found guilty by a Rugby Western Australia Judicial Committee, with the length of the ban the strictest available under World Rugby laws.
Writing by Chinasa Ossai; Editing by Annabel Nwachukwu