CHALLENGE CUP Cyril Cazeaux suspended for two weeks The Bordeaux-Bègles second row, Cyril Cazeaux, has been suspended for two weeks following an independent Disciplinary Hearing today (Wednesday, 12 December) arising from his club’s Challenge Cup, Round 3 match against Sale Sharks at Stade Chaban-Delmas. Cazeaux was sent off by the referee, Ian Davies (Wales), in the 38^th minute of the match for striking the Sale Sharks second row, Andrei Ostrikov, with his knee in contravention of Law 9.12. Law 9.12 Striking with the knee Under World Rugby’s Sanctions for Foul Play, Law 9.12 carries the following sanction entry points - Low End: 4 weeks; Mid-range: 8 weeks; Top end: 12 to 52 weeks. An independent Disciplinary Committee consisting of David Hurley (Ireland) Chair, Frank Hadden (Scotland) and Marcello D’Orey (Portugal) heard evidence and submissions by video conference from Cazeaux, who pleaded guilty to the charge, from the Bordeaux-Bègles director, Olivier Brouzet, and sporting co-ordinator, Olivier Sirven, as well as from the EPCR Disciplinary Officer, Liam McTiernan. The Committee upheld the red card decision and found that the act of foul play was at the low end of World Rugby’s sanctions and selected four weeks as the appropriate entry point. There were no aggravating factors and due to the player’s clear disciplinary record and his timely expression of remorse, the Committee decided to reduce the sanction by the maximum allowable of 50% before imposing a two-week suspension. Cazeaux is free to play on Monday, 24 December, and both he and EPCR have the right to appeal the decision. Andrei Ostrikov suspended for four weeks The Sale Sharks second row, Andrei Ostrikov, has been suspended for four weeks following an independent Disciplinary Hearing today (Wednesday, 12 December) arising from his club’s Challenge Cup, Round 3 match against Bordeaux-Bègles at Stade Chaban-Delmas. Ostrikov was sent off by the referee, Ian Davies (Wales), in the 68^th minute of the match for striking the Bordeaux-Bègles centre, Jean-Baptiste Dubié, with his arm in contravention of Law 9.12. Law 9.12 Striking with the arm Under World Rugby’s Sanctions for Foul Play, Law 9.12 carries the following sanction entry points - Low End: 2 weeks; Mid-range: 6 weeks; Top end: 10 to 52 weeks. An independent Disciplinary Committee consisting of David Hurley (Ireland) Chair, Frank Hadden (Scotland) and Marcello D’Orey (Portugal) heard evidence and submissions by video conference from Ostrikov, who pleaded not guilty to the charge, from the Sale Sharks Director of Rugby, Steve Diamond, and from the EPCR Disciplinary Officer, Liam McTiernan. The Committee upheld the red card decision and found that the act of foul play was at the mid-range of World Rugby’s sanctions and selected six weeks as the appropriate entry point. Although the player had a clear disciplinary record, as he did not accept that he had committed an act of foul play that warranted a red card, the Committee decided to reduce the sanction by two weeks before imposing a four-week suspension. Ostrikov is free to play on Monday, 7 January 2019, and both he and EPCR have the right to appeal the decision. Notes (i) Red Cards a) The case of any player sent off in Heineken Champions Cup and Challenge Cup matches shall be adjudicated by an independent Disciplinary Committee or an independent Judicial Officer as soon as is practicable. b) Until the hearing the player is ineligible to play in any tournament. (ii) Disciplinary Hearing a) The independent Disciplinary Committee or independent Judicial Officer are chosen by the chairman of the independent Disciplinary Panel, Mike Hamlin. b) EPCR's Disciplinary Officer presents the case against the player. c) If a decision is upheld, the Disciplinary Committee or Judicial Officer will be required to consider the appropriate sanction under World Rugby's sanctioning regime, which EPCR is obliged to follow. The seriousness of the player's actions will be first assessed in order to determine which of the three stipulated entry points (lower end, mid-range and top end) is the most appropriate. d) The Disciplinary Committee or Judicial Officer will determine the appropriate entry point based on an assessment of a number of particular characteristics of the player's actions, including whether or not they were intentional, whether or not they caused any injuries and whether or not they had any effect on the relevant match. e) After deciding the entry point, the Disciplinary Committee or Judicial Officer will then consider whether the suspension should be increased from the entry point to take account of certain specified aggravating factors, such as a poor disciplinary record or the need for deterrence, and/or decreased from the entry point to take account of certain specified mitigating actions, such as a guilty plea, a good disciplinary record, the player's conduct at the hearing and expressions of remorse. f) A suspension is a blanket ban from playing rugby union anywhere in the world. Players are suspended on the basis that a one-week period of suspension would ordinarily result in a player missing one match. Suspensions take into account periods of inactivity (such as the close season), periods when a player is injured or otherwise not fit to play, and when a player is not available or not expected to play. Suspensions should also take into account any out-of-season matches which are not considered to be meaningful, or which are not close enough to the season to be a determining factor in a player’s future selection. g) Both parties to the hearing (EPCR and the player) have the right to appeal decisions. Appeals must be lodged within three (3) working days of receiving the full written decision of the Disciplinary Committee or Judicial Officer. h) The full written decision will be available on epcrugby.com/discipline/hearing-decisions when the disciplinary process is complete. i) For World Rugby's Sanctions for Foul Play, found at Appendix 1 to World Rugby Regulation 17, go to world.rugby