Junior Wallabies prop Lawrence Tominiko will miss the rest of the World Rugby U20s tournament, suspended for three matches for a dangerous tackle.
Tominiko was handed a yellow card in the 75th minute of Australia's 54-19 win over Japan last Sunday, for a swinging arm tackle on winger Yu Saruta.
The tighthead appealed the citing at a hearing overnight, but that appeal was dismissed, with the committee deciding he had connected with Saruta's head.
Though the offence has an entry point of six weeks, the judicial committee reduced his suspension to three, which equates to three matches in the tournament.
Junior Wallabies coach Jason Gilmore defended his player post-match and maintained that stance in the days since, saying the incident could be a sign of things to come under new harsher high tackle laws set to be introduced later this year.
“It's a tough one because he bent at the hips, he was nice and low but the Japanese player was bent lower there and he was the ball carrier, so in terms of the first contact point, I don't know where else you're meant to hit, to be honest,” he said.
“It wasn't reckless or illegal or anything like that. With the new tackle laws, they're the situations we're going to find ourselves in.”
Tominiko's suspension is the latest in a host of changes for the Junior Wallabies, with Hamish Stewart, Jordan Petaia and Harry Hockings arricing in camp this week to replace injured trio James Ramm,Len Ikitau and Trevor Hosea.
