Liam Squire will be back on the training paddock with the All Blacks this week after being cleared to play the first test.

Abrasive All Blacks loose forward Liam Squire is free to play the first test against France on Saturday after he was cleared of a striking charge.

A Sanzaar foul play review committee dismissed a citing of Squire for allegedly striking Hurricanes halfback TJ Perenara with his shoulder in the 11th minute of Friday's Super Rugby match in Dunedin, won by the Highlanders.

The citing commissioner deemed in his opinion the incident at a ruck had met the red card threshold for foul play.

It was spotted by referee Ben O'Keeffe, but the match officials only deemed it worthy of a Hurricanes penalty at the time.

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Foul play committee chairman Nigel Hampton QC found Squire had legitimately entered the ruck 'through the gate', and not at great speed, with the intent of cleaning out the other player.

"As the player entered the ruck, and immediately before he engaged with the other player, that other player was in a head down, bottom up, position facing in the direction of the player," Hampton said.

"At the very last moment the other player dropped down on his knees (possibly, in part, as a result of the actions of other players), and brought his upper body, shoulders and head up, directly into the line of the committed Squire.

"The resulting impact between the two, which was not of significant force (and did not require any HIA), was virtually instantaneous. In these circumstances the citing was not made out on the evidence."



Later in the match, Squire was yellow carded for a separate incident on Julian Savea, who appeared to throw a punch in retaliation but escaped sanction due to a lack of video evidence.