Banned - Scottish prop Berghan to miss portion of Six Nations

Simon Berghan of Edinburgh Rugby faced a Disciplinary Hearing today and has been banned for his red card headstamp in the 1872 Cup.

A Disciplinary Hearing Committee convened in Dublin to consider the red-card decision against the player resulting from the Guinness PRO14 Round 11 fixture against Glasgow Warriors on December 23, 2017.

The player was shown a red card by referee Frank Murphy card under Law 10.4 (b) – Stamping or trampling. A player must not stamp or trample on an opponent.

The Hearing Committee concluded that the player’s actions merited a red card which warranted a high-end entry point, which carries a 12-week suspension.

The Committee concluded the Player was guilty of a stamping movement whereby the boot made contact with the head of a player who was vulnerable at the point of the incident.

This is a World Rugby mandated high-end entry point of 12 weeks. The Committee took into account the good record of the player, his apology to the victim player, the fact that no serious injury had occurred and the manner in which he and his club met the case.

The Committee thus applied the maximum mitigation of 50 per cent (six weeks). As a result, the player has been banned for a period of six weeks. He is free to play from midnight on Sunday, February 4, 2018, a day after Scotland's opening match with Wales in the Six Nations.

The player was reminded of his right to appeal.

Meanwhile Johan Meyer of Zebre Rugby Club faced a Disciplinary Hearing today via video conference and has been banned for one week.

A Disciplinary Hearing Committee convened in Dublin to consider the red-card decision against the player resulting from the Guinness PRO14 Round 11 fixture against Benetton Rugby on December 23, 2017.

The Player’s clean record throughout his professional career until the present incident of itself merited a reduction of 50 per cent. Moreover, there was provocation on the part of the victim player, however, notwithstanding this the retaliation was restrained to the extent that the kick was not one of such velocity as was likely to cause injury.