France hooker pays dearly for headbutt

NEWS: France hooker Peato Mauvaka has been handed a three-game ban after being cited for foul play in their Six Nations clash with Scotland last Saturday.

The Toulouse star appeared via video link as he faced an independent Disciplinary Committee, chaired by Jennifer Donovan (Ireland), alongside ex-internationals John Langford (Australia) and Leon Lloyd (England).

The 28-year-old was shown a yellow card by referee Matthew Carley after 20 minutes for a headbutt to scrumhalf Ben White at the Stade de France in the final match of the Championship, with the off-the-ball incident being referred to Ian Tempest in the bunker.

The infringement remained a yellow card and the decision caused uproar in the wake of the result.

While 20-minute red cards were in force over the Six Nations for technical offences, this would have warranted a permanent red as it would have been deemed a deliberate and dangerous act of foul play, meaning France would have been down to 14 players for the majority of the match.

The panel upheld the citing and initially handed Mauvaka a six-week suspension, but the ban was halved to three games after he accepted the charge and showed remorse, good conduct, and a clean disciplinary record.

The hooker will miss Toulouse’s upcoming games against Bordeaux and Pau in the Top 14 and Sale Sharks in the Champions Cup.