Bulls hooker Bismarck du Plessis was guilty of “nothing more than a slap” during the win over Western Province at Loftus Versfeld on Wednesday night.

This is the view of veteran rugby writer Mark Keohane, who declared Du Plessis “INNOCENT” – in a tweet that features close-up footage from the 58th minute of the match – and it’s a view shared by a source close to the incident.

Bismarck INNOCENT – nothing more than a slap … can’t wait to see him on Saturday at the big North v South DANCE ⁦@BlueBullsRugby⁩ ⁦@THESTORMERS⁩ ⁦@SARugbymag⁩ ⁦@URCOfficial⁩ pic.twitter.com/sXKOXAviaC

— Mark Keohane (@mark_keohane) April 7, 2022

After review of the footage, the referee opted not to take any action, much to the disappointment of WP captain Nama Xaba who insisted that a punch had been thrown.

“I was right next to the incident and I saw a strike to the face of our lock Ben-Jason [Dixon],” Xaba said following the 45-34 reverse. “I was really disappointed. The assistant referee did flag it initially, but I’m not sure about the process that followed. There was just no conclusive angle. I tried my best [to provide context] for the referees.

“There’s no place for that in the game.”

Du Plessis recently returned from a three-match ban for dangerous play in the United Rugby Championship match against Munster.