Rob Valetini set to be free for ACT Brumbies' Super Rugby Pacific season opener

Australian No. 8 Valetini was red carded in the final match of the Wallabies' Spring Tour, an agonising loss to Wales at Millennium Stadium last weekend.

A World Rugby judicial committee deemed the contact worthy of a six-match suspension, but that was cut in half due to Valetini's good prior history.

It could be cut down to two games if Valetini successfully completes World Rugby's 'Head Contact Process Coaching Intervention', which would allow him to line up for the Brumbies against Moana Pasifika in round one next year.

The 23-year-old would be able to serve his two-game suspension in two pre-season trial matches; first against the NSW Waratahs in Bowral on January 29, and then in a Brumbies versus Brumbies development squad match on the week of February 4-5.

MORE SPORT

A failure to complete the head contact process coaching intervention would see Valetini's ban stand at three games, thus rubbing him out of the opening-round clash with Super Rugby's new kids on the block.

That would see him free to return in round two during the competition's Super Round in Melbourne, should it go ahead amid concern about the impact of New Zealand's border restrictions on the existing competition fixture.

Valetini admitted he had committed an act of foul play worthy of a red card when he fronted an independent judicial committee via video link this week.

The committee deemed the offence was reckless, and Valetini had ran at speed in an upright position in an attempt to tackle Adam Beard, exhibiting a poor tackle technique which resulted in his head striking his Welsh rival's in breach of World Rugby's Head Contract Process and Law 9.13.

Beard was removed from the field of play and failed his ensuing head injury assessment, before receiving 20 stitches in the area of his eyebrow.

It was determined by a majority the incident merited a minimum mid-range entry point of six weeks. One member of the panel determined the offence justified an entry point of 10 or more weeks.

The starting point of a six-week suspension was then slashed given Valetini was entitled to a 50 per cent reduction.

Valetini's red card was a major talking point in a clash marred by controversial refereeing decisions, which was called out by Wallabies coach Dave Rennie in the aftermath.

Rennie called out the standard of refereeing in post-match interviews, before World Rugby condemned his decision to take a stand in a formal written warning.

Rennie and Rugby Australia issued an apology on Friday evening.

"Dave Rennie wishes to apologise to the match officials and to World Rugby for the choice of language used in post-match media commitments following the Wallabies Test match against Wales in Cardiff," they added.

"The choice of language and its timing did not meet the standards required from a coach or official in upholding Rugby's core values of discipline, integrity and respect.

"Rugby Australia and Dave Rennie accept the formal warning issued by World Rugby."

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content: