Overview
- An independent Appeal Committee dismissed Lood de Jager’s challenge late Wednesday, maintaining the red card from his Nov. 8 shoulder-to-head tackle on France’s Thomas Ramos in Paris.
- The four-match suspension stands, leaving him unavailable for Ireland in Dublin this weekend and Wales in Cardiff next week after already missing Italy.
- At the initial hearing, the Disciplinary Committee deemed the tackle reckless under Law 9.13, and de Jager did not plead guilty.
- The appeal panel was chaired by Christopher Quinlan KC with Roger Morris and Becky Essex, who reviewed the original case and additional submissions before upholding the sanction.
- In a separate ruling, Franco Mostert’s sending-off against Italy was overturned after a panel determined the first contact was to Paolo Garbisi’s shoulder and any head contact was secondary and lower force.