Mike Brown banned for ‘trampling’ on opponent

Harlequins Mike Brown has been given a six week suspension following his red card against Wasps.

Brown was sent off for trampling on Wasps hooker Tommy Taylor, who was holding him at a ruck. The fullback managed to have his sentence halved from 12 weeks.

Brown is Quins’ record appearance holder, having played 351 first-team games, while he won 72 England caps between 2007 and 2018.

A statement said: “The panel reviewed extensive video footage which included numerous angles and speeds and heard direct evidence from the player as to his actions and intentions.

“Having considered the totality of the evidence the panel was satisfied that whilst this was a stamp to the head, it was not deliberate.

“Given the location of the contact and the nature of the actions the panel considered that this was a top end entry point but that there was no reason to go above the starting point of 12 weeks.

“The player has an unblemished disciplinary record over a long and illustrious career, he accepted the charge at the earliest opportunity and impressed the panel with his honesty and obvious contrition throughout the hearing.

Red for Mike Brown and that could be the end of his Quins career. pic.twitter.com/i9UnPY1V9o

— Rugby on BT Sport (@btsportrugby) May 9, 2021

“The panel had no hesitation in allowing the maximum mitigation of 50%.

“The panel would encourage supporters of the game to avoid viewing this as nothing more than a brief video on social media which does not capture the full nature of the incident.”

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BACK-THREE: (7)

1. Jonny May (England)
2. Jack Nowell (England)
3. Jacob Stockdale (Ireland)
4. Hugo Keenan (Ireland)
5. Darcy Graham (Scotland)
6. Max Malins (England)
7. Leigh Halfpenny (Wales)

CENTRES: (4)

1. Manu Tuilagi (England)
2. Henry Slade (England)
3. Cameron Redpath (Scotland)
4. Garry Ringrose (Ireland

CONTINUES ON PAGE 2

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