Dixon gets off the hook

Sharks hooker Pieter Dixon will not be punished further for kicking Blue Bulls flank Arno Botha in the face in Durban on Friday night.

The experienced forward was shown a red card towards the end of his team's tense 13-12 victory at Kings Park on recommendation of the TMO, which became the subject of debate as many, including Sharks coach John Plumtree, believe that the incident only warranted a penalty.

Dixon appeared before Judicial Officer Jannie Lubbe on Monday who found that on the balance of probability, the reasons for awarding a red card were wrong.

Dixon conceded that his boot came into contact with the head of the Blue Bulls player, but stated that it was accidental.

Lubbe could not exclude that possibility on the evidence and found that it is more probable that the contact was accidental than deliberate and therefor no further sanction was deemed necessary.