Chiefs star Damian McKenzie will be available for the All Blacks' first test of 2021 against Tonga, despite being handed a three week ban after his red card in his side's Super Rugby Trans-Tasman loss to the Reds.
McKenzie, 26, was shown a red card for a dangerous tackle on Reds halfback Tate McDermott on Saturday, as the Chiefs slipped to a 40-34 defeat in Townsville.
A straight red card can warrant a six-week ban, but McKenzie's previous good record with the judiciary has seen him walk away with half of that, now banned from all rugby for the next three weeks.
"Taking into account mitigating factors including the Player's good judicial record and pleading guilty at his first available opportunity the Foul Play Review Committee reduced the suspension to 3 weeks," SANZAR Foul Play Review Committee chairman Adam Casselden SC says.
But McKenzie's suspension until after June 19 will mean he's available to face Tonga at Mt Smart Stadium on July 3.
McKenzie will play no part in the remainder of Super Rugby Trans-Tasman for the Chiefs, suspended from facing the Rebels in Hamilton and the Waratahs in Sydney.
"It was a disappointing red card during the game," Chiefs assistant coach David Hill says of McKenzie's red card and subsequent suspension.
"When it comes to judiciary stuff, it's obviously very much out of our hands. We just have to cop what they deem as the appropriate punishment and crack on.
"He's obviously pretty gutted with what went down. But the team made it pretty clear to him that he wasn't allowed to say 'sorry' or anything like that.
"We won with him and we lost with him, and we crack on."
Hill adds that the Chiefs were content with the three-week ban, and that the side will get by without their star playmaker.
"A few of our guys who've been through this before predicted it'd be something around that level.
"It wasn't malicious or anything like that, it was a little bit of poor technique and poor timing.
"It is what it is."
The Chiefs are all but out of contention to make the Super Rugby Trans-Tasman finals, sitting fifth as the only New Zealand side to have been beaten this season.
The top two sides - currently the Blues and Hurricanes - will make the final, with those spots likely to be decided by bonus points and points differential.
Join Newshub for live updates of the Chiefs v Rebels Super Rugby Trans-Tasman clash from 3:35pm Sunday.
