Connacht wing Mack Hansen will be available to play in Ireland’s Six Nations opener against England after being handed a three-match ban for comments he made about the refereeing in his club’s loss to Leinster.
Hansen said the refereeing of his side’s United Rugby Championship (URC) 20-12 loss at Aviva Stadium on 21 December made it feel like they were playing against “16 men”.
An independent disciplinary panel upheld a charge of misconduct against Hansen, who received a six-week suspension, three of which are suspended.
That means Hansen will miss Connacht’s Challenge Cup games against Lyon and Cardiff and the URC encounter with Glasgow, but will be available to face England in the Six Nations on 1 February.
Hansen was charged with misconduct in breach of nine clauses of the URC’s disciplinary rules. In addition, Connacht have received a suspended €10,000 (£8,400) fine.
In its statement, the URC said Hansen “in large part accepted that his actions amounted to misconduct and apologised for his actions”.
As part of his sanction, the Australia-born 26-year-old must apologise to referee Chris Busby and undertake “an appropriate course related to match officiating”.
