The Disciplinary process related to Ruan Venter's red card in the Vodacom United Rugby Championship Round 9 game against Hollywoodbets Sharks on Saturday, January 3, has resulted in a four-game suspension
After an act of foul play by Lions player No 7 (Ruan Venter), referee Christopher Allison showed the Player a Red Card in the 38th minute of the game under Law 9.13 – A player must not tackle an opponent early, late or dangerously.
Dangerous tackling includes, but is not limited to, tackling or attempting to tackle an opponent above the line of the shoulders, even if the tackle starts below the line of the shoulders.
In the Player’s responses to the Judicial Officer overseeing the disciplinary process (Ms Rhian Williams), he had accepted that he had committed an act of foul play which warranted a Red Card.
Ms Williams found that the incident met the Red Card threshold, with an entry of mid-range warranting six weeks.
The Player received two weeks mitigation due to his acceptance, remorse and exemplary conduct throughout the disciplinary process, resulting in a four-game suspension.
Fixtures Ruan Venter is unavailable for:
- Lions v Lyon Olympique Universitaire, Saturday 10 January 2026, EPCR Challenge Cup
- USA Perpignan v Lions, Saturday 17 January 2026, EPCR Challenge Cup
- Ospreys v Lions, Friday 23 January 2026, Vodacom URC
- Lions v Vodacom Bulls, Saturday 31 January, Vodacom URC.