Eastmond suspended for four weeks

03 December 2018, 15:55

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Kyle Eastmond of Leicester Tigers appeared before an independent disciplinary panel on Tuesday.

He was charged with a dangerous tackle, contrary to Law 9.13. The incident occurred in the match between Bristol Bears and Leicester Tigers on 1 December when the Tigers' centre tackled Bristol’s Ian Madigan in the 25th minute of the match.

Eastmond plead guilty to the charge and was suspended for four weeks by the independent disciplinary panel comprising of John Brennan (chair), Matt Bayliss and Tony Wheat. He is free to play again on 1 January 2019.

Independent panel chair John Brennan said: "The player accepted the charge and accepted through his representative that the entry point was mid-range due to there being direct contact to the head of the opponent. The panel acknowledged his plea, his remorse for the incident and his apology but could not give the player full mitigation of 50% due to his having been sanctioned for dangerous tackling last season. As such, the entry point was reduced by two weeks rather than three."