Ulster flanker Matty Rea handed four-week ban

Ulster flanker Matty Rea has been handed a four-week ban following his red-card incident in the recently concluded Pro14 clash against Connacht last Friday in Belfast.

Rea was sent-off at the start of the second half by referee Andrew Brace after he was alleged to have tackled Connacht replacement Cian Kelleher in the air.

The 25-year-old was charged for a breach of Law 9.17 that says "A player must not tackle, charge, pull, push or grasp an opponent whose feet are off the ground".

Rea attended a disciplinary committee hearing in Edinburgh and accepted that he had a committed a foul but was against the red-card sanction handed to him.

However, the panel dismissed Rea's plea and upheld the charges against him with his action warranting a eight-week ban that was reduced by half following his good disciplinary record and other mitigating factors.

The incident had a bearing on the game as Ulster succumbed to a 15-22 defeat and have now slipped to fifth position in the Conference B table. Rea will be free to resume playing from 5th November.