Berghan gets six-week ban
Simon Berghan will miss Scotland’s Natwest Six Nations opener after being given a six-week ban for stamping on the head of international team-mate Fraser Brown.
The Edinburgh prop was handed the punishment following his red card against Glasgow Warriors in last weekend’s Guinness Pro14 clash at BT Murrayfield.
Berghan was sent off inside six minutes after his boot caught hooker Brown’s head and will miss
the trip to face Wales on 3 February.
A Pro14 disciplinary committee concluded Berghan 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”.
The offence carried a 12-week maximum suspension but the committee gave him the minimum ban on account of his “good record, 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”.
Berghan will be free to play from the day after Scotland’s trip to Cardiff.
The 27-year-old will also miss Edinburgh’s return match with Glasgow on Saturday as well as a European Challenge Cup double-header against Stade Francais.
His team-mates came from 12 points down to snatch victory against Warriors last Saturday despite being a man down.
Meanwhile, Edinburgh have confirmed the departure of lock forward Anton Bresler to Worcester where he will link up again with Alan Solomons, the English club’s new coach.
The Namibian-born second row made 61 appearances for Edinburgh. He told his new club’s official website: “I’m excited at the prospect of playing Aviva Premiership rugby and can’t wait to get out on the field to show what I can do.”
Bresler arrived as Worcester announced the departure of fellow second row Christian Scotland-williamson who wants to switch to American football. He will head to Florida to work with NFL coaches in the hope of earning a place on an NFL team roster for 2018.