Queensland Rugby Union (QRU) made the below statement following the outcome of tonight’s Rugby Australia judicial hearing, which found Queensland Women's XV prop Liz Patu guilty under Law 9.12 for biting.
Following the hearing at QRU headquarters at Ballymore, Judicial Officer Chris Newton issued Patu with a suspension of six (6) weeks after she had entered a guilty plea for the offence.
Queensland Super W program head and Queensland Women’s XV assistant coach Tyrell Barker said: “Queensland prop Liz Patu has pleaded guilty to the charge of biting, following Queensland’s Super W match against Rugby WA on Saturday evening.
“Liz has expressed her remorse, and extends an apology to the player in question, the Rugby WA Women’s team, her own teammates and the wider Rugby public.
“Behaviour like this is unacceptable in our game and we support the suspension handed down by the judiciary.
“As we continue to work to build the Women’s game, we need to ensure that players have a safe playing and training environment from the grassroots through to the elite level of the game.
“We also have a duty of care to the player in question. Liz has been a part of Queensland and National programs for a long time, and her actions on the weekend were out of character.
“We will work with Liz to ensure that when she returns to play, she will demonstrate the spirit of Rugby and abide by the laws of the game.”
