A Wellington club player has been banned for life from playing rugby after being found guilty of striking a referee.
The incident occurred during a Senior 2 match between Hutt Old Boys Marist and Petone at the Hutt Recreation Ground last weekend.
The Petone player was in the process of receiving a red card for striking an Old Boys with his head, when he struck out at the referee, punching him in the face.
The player, who did not attend the hearing, has 14 days to appeal from the date he receives written notification of the decision.
