Ollivon was sent off by the referee, Karl Dickson (England), in the seventh minute of the match at Stade Felix Mayol for tackling the Benetton Rugby full back, Matteo Minozzi, in a dangerous manner in contravention of Law 9.13.

Law 9.13 A player must not tackle an opponent dangerously
Under World Rugby’s Sanctions for Foul Play, Law 9.13 relating to dangerous tackling carries the following sanction entry points - Low End: 2 weeks; Mid-range: 6 weeks; Top end: 10 to 52 weeks.

An independent Disciplinary Committee comprising Jennifer Donovan (Ireland), Chair, Martyn Wood (England) and Tony Wheat (Ireland) heard evidence and submissions from Ollivon, who did not accept the red card decision, from the RC Toulon Sporting Director, Laurent Emmanueli, and from the RC Toulon Legal Director, Cedric Rouhaud.

In addition, submissions were heard from the EPCR Disciplinary Officer, Liam McTiernan, and the RC Toulon Legal Assistant, Sophie Magdziak, was also present during the hearing.

The committee accepted Ollivon’s contention that the level of danger of his tackle was not high, and it was decided that the red card should be dismissed.

Ollivon is free to play and EPCR have the right to appeal the decision.

The RC Toulon flanker, Charles Ollivon, has had the red card that was shown to him during his club’s EPCR Challenge Cup semi-final match against Benetton Rugby dismissed following an independent Disciplinary Hearing.