All Blacks and Auckland Blues Winger Hit with Lengthy Suspension for Dangerous Lift Tackle

This article originally appeared on Stuff and is reproduced with permission

Blues winger Mark Tele’a has been handed a three-week suspension for a dangerous tackle.

As he prepares for a move to Japan later this year, Tele’a executed a concerning tackle during the Blues’ loss against the Reds on Friday night, lifting Reds back Tim Ryan and landing him on his head in a Brisbane showdown.

Initially shown a yellow card, the All Black’s punishment was escalated to a red card following a review by officials at Suncorp Stadium.

The judiciary for Super Rugby Pacific announced on Tuesday morning that Tele’a’s suspension would span three matches.

Initially set at a low-entry point of six weeks, the suspension was reduced by 50 per cent due to Tele’a’s guilty plea and his prior clean disciplinary record.

Catch all the excitement of the 2025 Super Rugby Pacific season on Stan Sport, the exclusive platform for live, ad-free match coverage available on demand

With this ruling, Tele’a will miss nearly all of the remaining regular season matches for the Blues, starting with their home game against the Force this Friday.

Additionally, he will not be available for the away game against the Drua next Friday or their Week 14 encounter with Moana Pasifika.