Ulster captain Iain Henderson will miss the Challenge Cup final against Montpellier after he was handed a three-match suspension by the United Rugby Championship.
Henderson was initially shown a yellow card that was then upgraded to a 20-minute red card for a croc roll on Deon Fourie in Ulster’s dramatic 38-38 draw with Stormers in the United Rugby Championship on Friday.
The 34-year-old this week appeared in front of an Independent Disciplinary Committee and “accepted that he had committed an act of foul play that warranted a red card”.
This was for falling foul of law 9.20 (d) which states that “a player may remove the tackler from the tackle area, but must not roll, pull or twist an opponent”.
The Independent Disciplinary Committee deemed that the act of foul play was “reckless” and merited a “mid-range entry point of six weeks for sanctioning”.
But mitigation was applied for Henderson due to his “previous good record (one suspension in a 15-year playing career), his remorse and immediate concern for the opponent player plus his good conduct and full co-operation with the disciplinary process”.
As a result, the second row was afforded 50% mitigation, reducing the length of his suspension to three weeks.
Henderson will miss Ulster’s final URC regular game against Glasgow Warriors on Friday and the Challenge Cup final in Bilbao.
The final game of his suspension is dependant on if Richie Murphy’s side reach the URC play-offs.
If they finish in the top eight and reach the quarter-finals at the end of the month, Henderson will be banned for that game, but if they fail to qualify, Henderson’s suspension will carry over to Ireland’s Nations Championship opener against Australia on 4 July.
Henderson’s suspension is a further blow to Murphy’s preparations as the Irish province chase their first piece of silverware in 20 years.
They will also be without key centre Stuart McCloskey for the decider on 22 May after he suffered a hamstring injury in the semi-final win over Exeter Chiefs, while Back row David McCann (knee) and full-back Jacob Stockdale (facial fracture) are also doubts.