By 3 News online staff
An 11-year-old could be banned from rugby for life after allegedly tackling and punching a referee during an under-12 club game at the weekend.
The fate of the Papatoetoe Rugby Football Club player will be determined by a disciplinary hearing this week, the New Zealand Herald reports.
The newspaper says the referee was allegedly attacked 10 minutes into the game's second half at the Papatoetoe Sports Grounds after the player was given a yellow card for a high tackle.
The referee was not physically injured in the attack, Auckland Rugby Referees Association referee manager Smudge McNeilage told the Herald.
"He has been resting at home, he has certainly been affected by the event," he says.
3 News
source: newshub archive
