New Zealand star Sonny Bill Williams will be available for the All Blacks’ Rugby Championship opener against Australia on August 19.
Williams was sent off by French referee Jerome Garces during New Zealand’s second Test defeat against the British and Irish Lions in Wellington last month.
He received a four-week ban following the red card for a dangerous charge into the head of Lions wing Anthony Watson.
Centre Williams, though, appealed against the matches that counted towards his suspension.
And an appeal panel, independent of World Rugby, ruled this week that a game on August 11 when New Zealand face Counties Manukau and Taranaki, playing 40 minutes against each team, complies with regulations constituting a match.
The decision to include the training game has sparked outrage on social media.
And on Thursday afternoon World Rugby released a statement revealing ‘surprise’ at the decision.
World Rugby said: ‘While World Rugby respects the decision of the independent appeal committee to uphold the appeal by New Zealand’s Sonny Bill Williams against the matches that counted towards his four-week suspension, it is surprised by the committee’s interpretation of the definition of “match” (which is defined in Regulation 1 as “a game in which two teams compete against each other”).
‘With the appeal process having been exhausted, World Rugby will refer the interpretation of the regulation to the Regulations Committee when it meets in September to examine the findings in the context of the game’s regulations to ensure universal clarity and compliance with the meaning of the regulation moving forward.’
‘A game being played by New Zealand against Counties Manukau and Taranaki on 11 August that had been excluded from the suspension by the original disciplinary committee, has now been deemed to comply with the regulations’ definition of a ‘match’,’ read a statement issued on behalf of World Rugby.
‘And, as such, that match will be included as part of the player’s suspension. Accordingly, Williams is suspended from all forms of rugby up to and including 11 August.’
New Zealand face the Wallabies in Sydney, with Garces the match referee.
