Benetton centre gets two-game ban for high hit on Munster’s Archer

BENETTON CENTRE TOMMASO Benvenuti has been handed a two-game ban for his high tackle on Munster’s Stephen Archer in last weekend’s Guinness Pro14 clash in Treviso.

The Italy international was yellow-carded by referee Ben Whitehouse for the offence during the game but Benvenuti was subsequently cited and a disciplinary committee has deemed that the offence had merited a red card.

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Whitehouse had suggested that the “medium force” of Benvenuti’s connection with Archer’s face meant it was only a yellow card.

The disciplinary committee, which met in Edinburgh yesterday, found Benvenuti was guilty of an infringement of Law 9.20: “A player must not make contact with an opponent above the line of the shoulders.”

Benvenuti’s offence was judged to merit a mid-range entry point of four weeks in terms of his suspension, but the committee applied 50% mitigation due to his clean disciplinary record and good conduct both after the game and during the hearing.

His two-game ban rules him out of the Round 21 clash with Zebre in two weekends’ time and a possible play-off game next month.

If Benetton fail to reach the play-offs this season, the Pro14 says his Benvenuti’s ban “will extend to August 11, 2019 to ensure the ban covers two meaningful matches – this would cover the Italy versus Ireland fixture on August 10, 2019 in Dublin.”