The lock appealed against the decision to suspend him for six weeks (net of two 'down weeks' when the player was not due to play) for striking an opponent with his elbow in the Guinness PRO12 match against Connacht on 22nd February 2015.
The player's appeal was based on two grounds, confined to the question of sanction (i.e. that the Disciplinary Committee had erred in determining that the offending warranted a top end entry point of nine weeks and again in reducing the entry point suspension by just three weeks to take account of mitigating factors) . The Appeal Committee, having received submissions on behalf of the player and the PRO12 Rugby Disciplinary Officer, both in advance of and at the hearing, dismissed the appeal in its entirety. The Appeal Committee found that the Disciplinary Committee had not made the errors that the player had alleged. The player's suspension remains as it was originally imposed.
The Appeal Committee ordered the player to pay the costs of convening the hearing and the legal costs incurred by the Disciplinary Officer in responding to the appeal.
