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Vaipulu tackled by Billy Holland during the pool stage last season. Inpho/Billy Stickland
Champions Cup

Castres powerhouse Vaipulu free to face Munster as he gets 6-week ban

The number eight’s ban was reduced by four weeks due to his guilty plea and expression of remorse.

CASTRES NUMBER EIGHT Maama Vaipulu will be available for the next round of Heineken Champions Cup fixtures after a disciplinary committee today gave him a six-week suspension.

Vaipulu was sent off by referee John Lacey and cited for a first-half shoulder (Law 9.12) to the chin of Luke Cowan-Dickie during Castres’ home win over Exeter Chiefs.

The disciplinary panel, chaired by Ireland’s Jennifer Donovan, determined that the offence warranted a top-end entry-point sanction and an initial 10-week suspension was selected by the committee before mitigating factors were considered.

vaipulu

Considering the back row’s guilty plea and an early expression of remorse, the committee reduced the ban by four weeks. The six-week imposed ban leaves the four-cap Tongan international free to play from Monday 3 December, Munster host Castres in Thomond Park on Sunday 9 December.

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