Brian Mujati, the Northampton prop, has escaped with a ban of only six weeks for pushing a referee after he was shown to be suffering from concussion at the time of the offence.

Under IRB regulations, the minimum sentence for physical abuse of a match official is normally 24 weeks, but a 75 per cent reduction was applied in Mujati’s case because of “compelling and exceptional mitigating factors”. The ban runs until December 2 and Mujati will be available for his side’s Guinness Premiership match against Bath on December 5.

Mujati, 25, who has won 12 caps for South Africa, committed his offence against Nigel Owens, the referee, in the Heineken Cup match away to Perpignan on October 16. Rather than a petulant push in protest at a decision, Mujati’s indiscretion was a blatant shove in the back as he found Owens in his path as he approached a ruck.

After he was cited for the offence, Mujati pleaded guilty to an act contrary to good sportsmanship and, at a reconvened hearing in Glasgow yesterday, it was demonstrated that he had been concussed earlier in the game.

Leicester confirmed yesterday that they have signed Lote Tuqiri, the former Australia wing, until the end of the season. Tuqiri, 30, was sacked by the Australian Rugby Union on July 1 for an alleged breach of the players’ code of conduct, ending an international career in which he won 67 caps and scored 30 tries.

Robbie Deans, the Australia head coach, was asked yesterday whether Tuqiri would play for the Wallabies again. “I suspect it’s unlikely,” Deans said. “Lote was in the Australian team, through circumstances beyond our control he no longer is. I wasn’t party to the proceedings [that terminated his contract].”

South Africa announced yesterday their team to play Leicester at Welford Road on Friday evening in a game to mark the official opening of the new £14.5 million Caterpillar Stand. The Springboks, who will be captained by Chiliboy Ralepelle, the hooker, included Heinrich Brüssow, the flanker who was outstanding against the Lions in the summer.

South Africa XV to play Leicester at Welford Road on Friday: E Rose; O Ndungane, J de Jongh, W Olivier, J Nokwe; R Pienaar, H Adams; G Steenkamp, C Ralepelle, J du Plessis, D Rossouw, A Bekker, H Brüssow, D Potgieter, A Johnson. Replacements: B Maku, H van der Merwe, A Hargreaves, D Raubenheimer, F Hougaard, M Bosman, R Viljoen.