Bath Rugby flanker Sam Underhill has been suspended for two weeks after an independent disciplinary committee disagreed with the club’s appeal that his high tackle on Friday night that saw him shown a red card was not worthy of a red card.
Underhill was sent off during Bath’s 49-24 win against Pau at the Stade du Hameau in the EPCR Challenge Cup last 16 knockout round. He was shown red by the referee Hollie Davidson in the 55th minute of the match for tackling the Pau outside centre Olivier Klemenczak in a ‘dangerous manner’ in contravention of Law 9.13.
An independent disciplinary committee of Robert Milligan KC (Scotland, Chair), Donal Courtney (Ireland) and Stefan Terblanche (South Africa) heard the case via video conference on Tuesday. England star Underhill, who is widely regarded to have one of the best text book tackle techniques in professional rugby, accepted that he had committed an act of foul play, but did not accept it warranted a red card. However, the independent disciplinary committee upheld the referee’s decision.
The committee decided the offense was at the mid-range of World Rugby’s sanctions, and selected six weeks as the appropriate entry point, reducing it by 50 percent for his acceptance of the charge, his good disciplinary record and full cooperation with the disciplinary process, reducing the ban to three weeks, with a further week knocked off if he applies for and successfully completes a World Rugby Coaching intervention course, colloquially called ‘tackle school.’
The ban means Underhill will miss this weekend’s Challenge Cup quarter-final against Gloucester at the Recreation Ground and the following week’s Gallagher Premiership match away at Exeter Chiefs.
