Brodie Retallick will miss the All Blacks' tests against Wales and Scotland after being banned following his sending off in the game against Japan last Saturday.
Brodie Retallick sits on the bench after being sent off Photo: PHOTOSPORT
Retallick was red carded in the 65th minute in Tokyo for a dangerous clean-out.
The 99 test veteran ploughed into the ruck and his shoulder hit the head of Japan loosie Kazuki Himeno.
He will miss this weekend's game in Cardiff and the following at Murrayfield, but his three week ban will be reduced to two if he completes a coaching intervention programme.
That will mean he will be available for the All Blacks last game of the tour against England at Twickenham on November 19th.
His suspension is a blow for a New Zealand side already without captain Sam Cane and hooker Dane Coles because of injury, weakening their forward pack.
Retallick accepted that he had committed an act of foul play but did not accept that the offence was worthy of a red card.
Having reviewed all the evidence, the Committee applied the Head Contact Process and upheld the red card.
The judicial committee noted that he admitted that the clean out of the opponent was executed with his arm trailing at the point his shoulder made contact with the back of the opponent's head and/or neck.
On that basis, the Committee deemed the act of foul play merited a mid-range entry point of six matches given the direction by World Rugby that "any act of foul play which results in contact with the head and/or the neck shall result in at least a mid-range sanction."
Taking into account the player's excellent disciplinary record and the mitigating factors, the Committee granted the player full mitigation of 50 per cent, resulting in a sanction of three matches. The committee also approved the player's application under the Head Contact Process - Coaching Intervention Programme.