David Paice banned for five weeks

London Irish skipper David Paice has been sanctioned a five-week ban following his red-card incident in the recently concluded Aviva Premiership clash against Gloucester.

The encounter at Kingsholm saw Paice sent-off by referee Luke Pearce just at the stroke of half-time for colliding with the head of Gloucester captain Willi Heinz, who was withdrawn from the field.

The 34-year-old appeared before a disciplinary panel on Wednesday and pleaded guilty to the charges against him.

"The panel found that this was a reckless challenge in which contact was made with the head of the Gloucester player causing an injury," said the panel chairman Aidan O'Brien.

"The entry point was mid-range, one week was added on to reflect the player's previous disciplinary record and, after allowing mitigation to reflect the player's guilty plea, remorse and conduct at the hearing, the final sanction is five weeks. The player is free to play on 9 January 2018."

London Irish are currently languishing at the bottom of the Aviva Premiership table with just one win from 10 games.

For your latest betting news and deals please visit Betfred.