Northampton Saints winger Tom Collins suspended for two weeks

Northampton Saints winger Tom Collins has been handed a two-week ban following his red-card incident during the recently concluded Gallagher Premiership clash against Wasps at Ricoh Arena on last weekend.

Collins was sent-off by referee Matthew Carley in the 65th minute during the game for colliding with Jacob Umaga but despite the setback the Saints went on to register a 31-35 win.

The 25-year-old appeared before an independent disciplinary panel and was proved guilty of breach in World Rugby Law 9.17.

"The player's actions were reckless in that he failed in his duty to protect the player in the air. They accepted that there was no intent to cause any harm and the player was immediately remorseful for the injury sustained by Jacob Umaga," said Independent panel chair Matthew Weaver.

"The panel found that this [offence] was a low-end entry point of four weeks and that the player was allowed the maximum mitigation of 50% due to his acceptance of the charge, his clean record and immediate and genuine remorse."

As a result, Collins will miss the upcoming two rounds of the Heineken Champions Cup games against Benetton Rugby and Lyon to be played on 12th and 18th January respectively.