Northampton Saints scrum-half Tom James suspended for three weeks

Northampton Saints scrum-half Tom James has been suspended for three games following an incident in the recently concluded Investec Champions Cup game against Toulon.

James was cited for an incident in the 70th minute of the game when he struck Toulon number nine Ben White with his head.

The 30-year-old faced an independent Disciplinary Committee comprising Pamela Woodman (Scotland), Chair, Marcello D’Orey (Portugal) and Gordon Black (Ireland) and the panel deemed James was guilty of the charges and his action warranted a red card.

The panel deemed that the offending was at the low end of World Rugby’s sanctions handing him a six-week ban that was reduced by half taking into account his conduct during hearing, guilty plea and other mitigating factors.

He will be free to play from 8th January 2024.