Healy to miss Scotland, France games

Rugby: Ireland prop Cian Healy will miss the Six Nations clashes away to Scotland and at home to France after being handed a…

Rugby:Ireland prop Cian Healy will miss the Six Nations clashes away to Scotland and at home to France after being handed a three-week suspension by the Six Nations Disciplinary Committee at a hearing in London.

In effect, the Leinster loosehead will serve a four-week ban for his stamp on England prop Dan Cole as the suspension doesn't date from last Sunday's game, but only begins this weekend.

The committee decided that the player would not have played for his province against Treviso this weekend and so the suspension will end at midnight on Sunday March 10th.

As a result Healy will miss the trip to Murrayfield on Sunday week and the clash against Les Bleus at the Aviva Stadium on March 9th.

Healy trod on Cole's ankle after an Ireland maul had collapsed in an incident which was missed by referee Jerome Garces, sparking a large brawl.

After reviewing video footage of the incident and listening to the representations by and on behalf of the player, the committee found that "the stamp should be categorised as a mid range offence in terms of seriousness, which carries a sanction of five weeks".

The statement continued: "The committee allowed the maximum two weeks of mitigation, but, in imposing a suspension of three weeks, recognised that the player would not have played for his province this weekend is that the suspension will end at midnight on Sunday 10 March 2013".

Healy has the right of appeal the decision.