Rugby:Ireland's Donnacha Ryan will miss the rest of the autumn internationals after being handed a three-week ban for stamping. The second row was found guilty of the offence at a hearing of a Six Nations disciplinary committee this evening.
Ryan, a 69th minute replacement, was caught on camera stamping on an opponent as Ireland pressed for a third try during the underwhelming 20-10 win over Samoa. The incident was missed by the match officials at the time but picked up by the citing commissioner.
Ryan, who has the right of appeal, had come on in both Ireland’s autumn internationals to date and would have expected a place on the bench against the All Blacks this weekend.
While he will now miss that clash, and the subsequent match against Argentina, he will be back for the resumption of the Heineken Cup with Munster in early December.
Ryan will be free to play on December 5th, having had his mid-range sanction downgraded due to his "exemplary disciplinary record and good conduct at the hearing".