A review by the International Rugby Board has found that South Africa hooker Bismarck du Plessis should not have received his first yellow card against the All Blacks at Eden Park on Saturday.
Du Plessis was sent from the field midway through the first half following a tackle on All Blacks No 10 Dan Carter, who injured his right shoulder in the hit.
"Following an initial review, the IRB confirms that it was incorrect for referee Romain Poite to issue a yellow card to Bismarck du Plessis in the 17th minute of The Rugby Championship match between New Zealand and South Africa in Auckland on Saturday,'' an IRB release stated.
"Just as players and coaches make mistakes, the decision was an unfortunate case of human error by the match officials, who, having reviewed the match, fully recognise and accept that they made a mistake in the application of law.''
