Biggar given three-week ban after Euro dismissal
WALES captain Dan Biggar has received a three-week ban after he was sent off in Northampton’s European Challenge Cup clash against Gloucester.
The Saints fly-half was dismissed by Scottish referee Sam Grove-White for a dangerous tackle on Gloucester centre Chris Harris.
Biggar will miss play-off chasing Northampton’s Gallagher Premiership fixtures against Bath, Harlequins and Saracens as a result.
But European Professional Club Rugby said that Biggar will be free to play from May 2 - and therefore be available to face Saracens - if he applies for and completes a World Rugby coaching intervention for players who receive a red card for head contact.
It is a second major blow for Northampton after Biggar’s Saints and British and Irish Lions colleague Courtney Lawes suffered a dislocated thumb in the same game.
Northampton rugby director Chris Boyd has already ruled Lawes out of the trip to Bath on Saturday, with further medical opinion required on the injury.
An independent disciplinary committee heard submissions from Biggar, who accepted the red card decision.
“The committee upheld the red card decision, finding that in executing a dangerous tackle which warranted a red card, Biggar had made contact with Harris’ head,” EPCR said.
“It was then determined that the offending was at the mid-range of World Rugby’s sanctions and six weeks was selected as the appropriate entry point.
“Given his guilty plea and clear disciplinary record, and as there were no aggravating factors, it was decided to grant the full 50 per cent mitigation and the committee therefore reduced the sanction by three weeks before imposing a three-week suspension.”
Sale Sharks wing Arron Reed, meanwhile, also received a threeweek suspension following his red card in the Heineken Champions Cup round-of-16 second-leg victory over Bristol last Friday.
Reed was dismissed six minutes before half-time following a dangerous tackle on Luke Morahan.
EPCR added that judicial officer Kathrine Mackie considered the matter on papers, and upheld the red card decision, finding that Reed had executed a “dangerous and reckless tackle,” making contact with Morahan’s head, that warranted a red card.
The games Reed will miss includes Sale’s European Cup quarter-final against Racing 92 on May 9.