I was hung out to dry, says Nel

Bulls midfielder JP Nel believes he was "hung out to dry" by a Sanzar tribunal after he was handed a three-week ban on Sunday for a stiff arm tackle on Waratahs flanker Rocky Elsom during last Saturday's game.

Nel, who arrived home on Tuesday after leaving the team in Australia, said he was shocked at the sentence and believes he was made an example of and paid the price for the Waratahs loss against the Bulls.

The tackle looked harmless on the first television replay, with even the Australian television commentators dismissing it but a second, slower replay seemed to show that Nel had swung his arm deliberately, which connected Elsom on his head.

Nel said he was flabbergasted when he heard he was cited, but added that he expected the worst when the Bulls were unable to find an attorney to represent him at the disciplinary hearing.

"We heard at around 11 on the Saturday night that I had to attend a hearing by 10 the next morning. We phoned around but couldn't find an attorney to represent us who could get to the hearing in time," Nel said on Tuesday.

"We asked for a postponement but the request was denied.

"Eventually I asked (Bulls business manager) Ian Schwartz to accompany me so that I wasn't alone.

"When we got into the hearing we both realised they had already made their minds up and they were going to find me guilty no matter what. We did our best to ensure that I got the minimum sentence."

Nel agrees that the tackle looks bad on the video replay, but believes he was at the mercy of a foreign tribunal which has a history of harshly treating South African players.

"It wasn't as if it was a deliberate hit. My arm did not come from behind the shoulder when I was making the tackle.

"But in retrospect it does look bad on the replay."

Nel is upset that he won't be making the trip to New Zealand for the second time in three years.

"I can't believe it, but I have never been to Dunedin or Wellington in my career.

"Two years ago I picked up an injury in the first week and had to come home and this time I'm home in the second week of the competition."

Nel plans to head home to Worcester for the next three weeks and will concentrate on his fitness while there.