Ex-Wasps lock Douglas cops ban for a pre-season red card in France

Levi Douglas will miss the opening three rounds of the new Pro D2 season for his new club Grenoble after he was banned for three weeks following a red card in a recent pre-season friendly match versus divisional rivals Oyonnax.

Douglas created headlines last May when Gallagher Premiership club Wasps allowed him to take up a short-term offer at Toulon and he went on to play three times in the Top 14 before the end of the 2020/21 season.

The 26-year-old second row has since moved onto Grenoble but his hopes of hitting the ground running with his new club have been hampered by his 73rd minute pre-season sending off on August 20, a dismissal that has resulted in Douglas missing last week's round one home defeat to Oyonnax, this Friday's round two trip to Vannes and the September 9 home meeting versus Agen.  

A statement from league officials in France read: "Levi Douglas was found responsible for 'dangerous play' and in particular 'hitting an opponent with the forearm'. The average degree of the severity scale was used and it was a six-week suspension.

"After taking into account the mitigating circumstances (clean disciplinary record, expression of remorse, conduct before and during the hearing), the sanction was reduced by three weeks. Consequently, Douglas is suspended for three weeks. As of September 1, and given the schedule of Grenoble, he will be re-qualified on Friday, September 10."

It was May 1 when it emerged that Wasps boss Lee Blackett had allowed the second row head to Toulon until the end of the season as a medical joker despite the ACL injury suffered by skipper Joe Launchbury.

Douglas had appeared off the bench in the previous weekend's win over Bath as a replacement for the stricken Launchbury, whose serious injury ruined his hopes of selection for the Lions tour to South Africa. The English lock provided cover at Toulon for the injured Brian Alainu’uese and he then decided to remain in France and continue his career there this season with Grenoble.