 Ma'a Nonu in action against Ireland at Lansdowne Road |
New Zealand centre Ma'a Nonu has escaped punishment after being cited for a tackle on Gordon D'Arcy during last Saturday's match against Ireland. An International Rugby Board disciplinary panel ruled that evidence had not shown Nonu drove D'Arcy into the ground after lifting in the tackle.
Referee Jonathan Kaplan gave a penalty for the incident and the panel ruled that this was sufficient punishment.
Nonu has been left out of Saturday's team to play England at Twickenham.
New Zealand coach Graham Henry said: "We're glad that the matter has been dealt with.
"Safety is of major importance for the game and there's a clear message from the judiciary here - we have to be sure that our tackling technique is sound."
The tackle brought back memories of the controversial tackle that ruled Lions captain Brian O'Driscoll out of the Test series against the All Blacks in the summer.
After the match, Henry and Ireland boss Eddie O'Sullivan condemned Nonu's challenge but agreed it had been clumsy rather than malicious.
Nonu is part of New Zealand's second-choice centre pairing, alongside Conrad Smith, and the Ireland match was his first appearance of the tour.
Tana Umaga and Aaron Mauger will face England but Nonu and Smith are likely to feature in the final Test of the tour against Scotland.
MMIX
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