Tevita Pangai Jr will miss Hull KR’s next six games through suspension
Referee Chris Kendall speaks with Tevita Pangai Jr of Hull KR at Leeds Rhinos
Tevita Pangai Jr will learn from the six-game ban he was handed this week by the RFL’s Match Review Panel. That’s the message from Hull KR head coach Willie Peters, who has outlined why the Robins chose not to appeal the Grade F charge and subsequent lengthy ban.
The ban relates to a coming together in the first half on Friday’s clash with Leeds Rhinos at Headingley with Pangai Jr appearing to flop on Jake Connor before pushing a hand into his face.
With his fingers spread, that movement has been deemed to be gouging by the MRP and they’ve come down heavy on the former Catalans Dragons man because of it.
As such, Pangai Jr will miss this week’s Magic Weekend contest against Hull FC and he’ll sit out of the five games after that too, leaving the Robins short in some key matches along the way against the likes of Wakefield Trinity, Warrington Wolves and Hull again.
It’s a call that was there to be appealed by the Robins but ultimately the decision was made to take the punishment and go without the prop, who only joined the club in May on a short-term deal until the end of the season, for a significant chunk of time.
“We’ve obviously accepted it,” Peters told Hull Live. “He’s got to learn from that and we move on.
“We always go through the process and then the people above just felt that it was best that we just accepted and we move on.”
Asked how Pangai Jr was after being punished, Peters added: “He’s obviously disappointed with the outcome and all that sort of thing.
“He’ll learn from it and the best thing for him to do now is get as fit as possible and come back and earn his teammates’ trust.”
Pangai Jr can expect to return to action in August when Hull KR host his former club Catalans Dragons.