French prop Haouas handed ban for red-carded punch at Murrayfield

Mohamed Haouas has been banned for three weeks following his red card in last Sunday’s Guinness Six Nations Grand Slam-ruining defeat to Scotland.  

The France prop forward appeared before an independent disciplinary committee in London following his 36th minute sending off at BT Murrayfield for striking Scotland flanker Jamie Ritchie.

Haouas accepted that he had committed an act of foul play that warranted a red card.

The disciplinary committee, which comprised Roger Morris (Wales), Leon Lloyd (England) and Lawrence Sephaka (South Africa), heard evidence and submissions from Haouas and his legal counsel. 

They agreed that Haouas had committed an act of foul play (an infringement of law 9.12) and that it had warranted a red card.

The committee found that the act of foul play warranted a mid-range entry point (six weeks) and reduced that by three weeks to take account of mitigating factors, including good conduct, guilty plea and relative inexperience at international level.

Haouas is therefore suspended for three weeks. Given his playing schedule, he is free to resume playing on Tuesday, April 14.

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