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Bardy clings on to Simon Zebo during the 2013 Heineken Cup semi-final Billy Stickland/INPHO
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Clermont flanker Bardy banned for Munster trip after knee on Vunipola

The replacement clashed with the Saracens number eight twice during their defeat in England.

CLERMONT BACK ROW Julien Bardy has been handed a five-game ban after being cited for striking Saracens’ Billy Vunipola with his knee in last weekend’s Champions Cup defeat to the Premiership club.

The incident (after 10 second of the below video) was deemed to have merited a red card for Bardy – wearing number 20.

Independent judicial officer Simon Thomas judged the offence to have been in the mid-range of sanctions under law 10.4 (a): punching or striking with the fist, arm, elbow, shoulder head or knee.

Eric / YouTube

As Bardy pleaded guilty to the offence and has an otherwise clean disciplinary record,  the ban was reduced from eight weeks to five.

However, the suspension will run over seven weeks as Thomas took into account a two-week break in the Top 14 when Bardy would not have played anyway.

The suspension takes Bardy up to Monday 8 December, two days after Clermont face Munster in Thomond Park in the third round of Champions Cup Pool 1 fixtures.

He will be available again for the return fixture in Stade Marcel Michelin on Sunday 14 December.

‘One bad performance doesn’t make you a bad team’ – Rory Best

Loss of referee control at the heart of 2007’s ‘Battle of Bayonne’ — O’Driscoll