Bulls centre JP Nel lost his appeal against a four-week suspension, following his appeal hearing in Pretoria overnight.

As a result Nel will miss the Bulls' Super 14 semifinal showdown with the seven-time and defending champion Crusaders at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday. He will also miss the Final, if the Bulls advance.

Nel appealed against the ban of the original Sanzar Disciplinary Hearing, which earlier this week found him guilty of a dangerous tackle on Sharks fullback Stefan Terblanche in the Bulls 27-26 Super 14 win in Durban last Saturday.

Nel was suspended from all forms of rugby up until the June 13 , after a Sanzar Judicial Officer Dekker Govender ruled that the player executed a dangerous tackle on the Sharks player.

Nel appealed against the verdict and was represented at the hearing by attorney Gerrie Swart.

The Appeals committee, which included Sanzar Judicial Officers Peter Ingwersen (South Africa), Bruce Squire (New Zealand) and Dennis Wheelahan (Australia), considered the ruling and evidence provided by the defence via teleconference.

The committee, however, ruled that the Sanzar Disciplinary Hearing's original verdict, by Govender, was justified for Nel's dangerous tackle on Terblanche.

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