Ox Nche cops 3-week suspension for red card against Harlequins

Sharks prop Ox Nche will serve a three-week suspension for the red card he received against Harlequins on Saturday, as decided at an independent disciplinary hearing.  

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Nche received his marching orders for head-on-head contact in the tackle with Harlequins hooker Jack Walker which drew the ire of the King Park spectators.  

Nche was ruled to have contravened Law 9.13, which states, "A player must not tackle an opponent dangerously." 

The disciplinary committee, made up of  Declan Goodwin (Wales), Samantha Hillas KC (England) and Martyn Wood (England), looked at video imagery of the incident. They also heard submissions from Nche, and his legal representative, who felt that a red card was not warranted. 

The committee, however, found that because there was contact with Walker's head, the tackle was carried out in a dangerous manner and determined the ban at six weeks. 

This was reduced to three weeks as there were no aggravating factors and because of Nche's excellent disciplinary record.  

The Sharks are currently in France, where they take on Bordeaux in a Champions Cup clash on Friday. 

Kick-off is at 22:00 (SA time).