The delay for Reece Hodge’s World Cup judiciary hearing was due to the Wallabies needing to fly an experienced Brisbane barrister to Japan, following an objection from Fiji over their original choice of counsel.
The reason for the hearing being pushed to Wednesday was revealed as Fiji coach John McKee fired back at Michael Cheika over his “spirit of the game” barb, and a top World Rugby adviser on high tackles deleted a Twitter post in which he’d said Hodge should have got a red card for his hit on Fiji's Peceli Yato.
Hodge will front the World Cup judiciary at 3pm on Wednesday in Tokyo after being cited for a dangerous tackle on Yato in Australia’s win over Fiji in Sapporo. Yato was forced to leave the field due to concussion.
The winger will be represented by Mark Martin QC; a Brisbane silk who regularly represents Queensland players at the SANZAAR judiciary.
It’s understood the Wallabies had nominated another unspecified lawyer but Fiji raised an objection given the same person also does support work for them and other tier two nations in the Pacific Islands.
Relations between Australia and Fiji aren’t in top shape given the incident, which Fiji referred to the World Rugby citing commissioner.
Cheika said on Monday that Fiji referring the Hodge tackle was “really disappointing” and not in the spirit of the game.
"I'd prefer they come up to me and get upset with me if they're really upset about it, not to talk to me in that nice sort of friendly chat and go behind your back and put it in a referral,” Cheika said.
McKee fired back on Tuesday ahead of Fiji’s second game against Uruguay in Kamaishi, which Yato cannot play due to concussion protocols.
"From our side we lost a player who was nearly the most influential player on the park at that time of the game, for the rest of the game, and because of the head injury he can't play in this game (Wednesday versus Uruguay) either," McKee told reporters on Tuesday.
"Maybe Michael Cheika's views of what's within the spirit of the game are slightly different to some other people, but it's not up to me to decide what exactly he meant by that comment.”
The Hodge tackle prompted a deluge of outrage on social media, with many believing the Australian winger deserved a red card.
Most of those cited a tweet of South African sports scientist Ross Tucker, a consultant to World Rugby whose was an architect of the governing body’s framework for deliberating on high contact and foul play in games.
The data from Tucker’s studies into the causes of concussion in professional rugby were the major element in formulating the new “High Tackle Sanction Framework” disciplinary guidline.
On Saturday Tucker tweeted mid-game that Hodge should have got a red card, explaining his verdict by judging Hodge’s tackle against the new World Rugby “High Tackle Sanction Framework” protocols.
Tucker delivered his verdict that Hodge’s right arm was not used, there was head contact, there was high danger and no mitigation so “final = red”.
There was disquiet in the Wallabies camp about Tucker’s public comments and on Monday the World Rugby consultant deleted the tweet.
World Rugby were contacted for comment.
