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Leinster’s Michael Ala'alatoa consoles Cian Healy as he leaves the field after receiving a red card. Billy Stickland/INPHO
Off the hook

Cian Healy cleared for Champions Cup opener as red card rescinded

The Ireland international prop was sent off after 20 minutes of last Saturday’s URC victory over Ulster for a tackle on hooker Tom Stewart

CIAN HEALY IS in the clear to line out for Leinster in their Champions Cup opener against Racing 92 this weekend.

The Ireland international prop was sent off after 20 minutes of last Saturday’s URC victory over Ulster for a tackle on hooker Tom Stewart which left both bloodied by the head-on-head contact.

Healy did lower his height for the tackle and a URC disciplinary panel has ruled there was sufficient mitigation to lower Healy’s penalty to a yellow card offence.

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A URC statement read: “After an act of foul play against Ulster player No 2 (Tom Stewart), referee Christophe Ridley showed the player a red card in the 20th minute of the game under Law 9.13 – A player must not tackle an opponent early, late or dangerously. Dangerous tackling includes, but is not limited to, tackling or attempting to tackle an opponent above the line of the shoulders even if the tackle starts below the line of the shoulders.

“Upon review of the incident, the panel overseeing the disciplinary process – Robert Milligan KC (Chair, Scotland), Nigel Williams (Wales), Simon Thomas (Wales) – deemed that there was sufficient mitigating factors to reduce the red card to a yellow card. Therefore, the red card was not upheld and the player can return to play effective immediately.”

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