Blue Bulls captain Deon Stegmann will miss the match against the Sharks in Pretoria after being suspended for one week.

Stegmann has been found guilty of contravening law 10.4 (a), which states that a player must not strike an opponent with the fist or arm, including the elbow, shoulder, head or knee.

He received a red card for the incident, which involved EP Kings lock Darron Nell and occurred in the 69th minute of the win over the Kings in Port Elizabeth.

Bulls eighthman Jono Ross looks likely to take over the captaincy duties, having served as captain during last year's Currie Cup campaign.

Meanwhile, Bongi Mbonambi has been cleared to play this weekend after the judicial officer deemed the yellow card he received for entering a ruck recklessly to be a sufficient punishment.

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