South Africa have accused Dougie Hunter, the Scottish disciplinary official, of double standards after Schalk Burger was handed a four-game World Cup ban.
The team management have described Hunter's actions - reporting Burger but not rival Samoan player Brian Lima for dangerous play during the sides' match in Paris on Sunday - as "shocking and incomprehensible" and have lodged an appeal against Burger's suspension.
As it stands, the flanker will miss the remainder of the pool phase and a probable quarter final after being cited for a high tackle on Junior Polu, the Samoa scrum-half, in the Boks' 59-7 win. Burger, who claimed he was contesting the ball in the air, caught Polu across the face with a forearm jolt as he jumped, and while Paul Honiss, the referee from New Zealand, deemed no further sanction necessary after the initial foul was awarded, the incident was spotted by Hunter.
"This is a shocking and incomprehensible sanction," said Zola Yeye, the manager of the South African team. "If you look at the match in context, you will see there were a number of very dangerous tackles.
"One in particular is that of Lima on Andre Pretorius, which did not result in a citing. When you look at the two side by side and compare them, I can only say that the treatment of Burger is shocking.
"We are sitting down with the lawyer now and we are appealing the verdict and the sanction. Schalk is a valuable player and we are determined to ensure that he gets treated fairly."
Meanwhile, Portugal's Juan Somoza has been cited for an alleged head-butt on Scotland lock Nathan Hines in Sunday's clash in Saint-Etienne. Somoza will learn his fate today.
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