The Munster and Ireland hooker Jerry Flannery will be available for Ireland selection for the final three games of the Six Nations Championship following a successful appeal to his eight- week suspension yesterday.

Flannery will be available for the games against Scotland, Wales and England.

Flannery had been found guilty of stamping on Julien Bonnaire during Munster's Heineken European Cup match against ASM Clermont Auvergne, but his suspension was reduced on appeal by the independent disciplinary committee that convened in Dublin yesterday.

The original independent disciplinary committee found Flannery had stamped on the French forward during a ruck in the round five Pool five match at Parc des Sports Marcel-Michelin on January 13th.

They determined that the offence was of the "top end in the level of seriousness" and suspended the player for eight weeks up to and including Wednesday, March 19th.

The player always denied intent, maintained he had been simply attempting to free a leg, and the independent appeal committee duly found the original disciplinary committee had erred in its determination that the offence was deliberate and at the "top end" in seriousness.

The appeal committee found that Flannery had stamped on the player recklessly rather than deliberately and accordingly, determined that the offence was of "mid-range" in the level of seriousness.

Having taken into account mitigating and aggravating factors, the appeal committee reduced the period of suspension to four weeks which will now run up to Thursday, February 21st.

Meanwhile in Ulster, the new head coach, Matt Williams, will have to reconstruct his back row, as he is now without the services of Neil Best.

Hot on the heels of Tommy Bowe leaving Ulster for the Welsh side Ospreys, the Ireland flanker Best is looking extremely likely to join another former Ulster colleague, Roger Wilson, at Northampton, pending a medical examination.