Ospreys fullback Dan Evans suspended for four weeks

Ospreys fullback Dan Evans has been banned for four weeks following his red-card incident in the recently concluded Champions Cup encounter against Racing 92.

Evans was sent-off by referee Frank Murphy in the opening minute of the game after his boot made contact with the head of Racing wing Teddy Thomas.

The 31-year-old attended the independent disciplinary hearing on Wednesday via a video conference along with Ospreys manager Dai Davies and was proved guilty of breach in World Rugby Law 9.12 that deals with kicking offences.

The sanction for the offence carried eight weeks of suspension but the panel reduced the punishment by four weeks taking into consideration Evans' conduct during hearing, guilty plea and other mitigating factors.

"There were no aggravating factors, and taking into account the player's guilty plea and timely expression of remorse, the committee reduced the sanction by the maximum of 50 per cent before imposing a four-week suspension," read the statement from the disciplinary panel.

As a result, Evans will miss the return Champions Cup game against Racing 92 along with Pro14 clashes against Cardiff Blues, Scarlets and Dragons before resuming playing from 6th January.

Ospreys are currently languishing at the bottom of Pool 4 in the Champions Cup after losing all their three games.