Zander Fagerson appeal: Prop freed to play some part in remainder of Six Nations

Zander Fagerson has achieved partial success in his appeal against the four-week suspension handed out for his red card against Wales.

Zander Fagerson's ban will now cover Glasgow Warriors matches as well as internationals. Picture: Jane Barlow/PA

The prop will now be allowed to play some part in the remainder of Scotland’s Six Nations campaign after the appeal committee reconfigured the terms of his ban.

Fagerson will still miss four matches, but two of them will be Glasgow Warriors games, one of which has already been played.

The tighthead was originally suspended for Scotland’s remaining Championship games against France, Ireland and Italy and one further match to be determined.

Zander Fagerson was sent off in the Guinness Six Nations match against Wales. Picture: Jane Barlow/PA

However, the appeal committee has ruled that the terms of the original ban did not give “appropriate weight to the evidence before it about the matches to be covered by the period of suspension”.

A statement from the Six Nations added: “Necessarily, decisions on matches to be covered by suspensions are fact-sensitive and player-specific. On the basis of all the evidence, the Appeal Committee was satisfied that the suspension should have covered the Glasgow matches against Ulster and Zebre.”

The Ulster game was played last weekend, so Fagerson has served one game of his four-match ban already. The Zebre game is scheduled for March 6, on the next Six Nations fallow weekend.

The other two games covered by the suspension are Scotland’s match against France and Ireland. However, the situation has now been further complicated by the postponement of the former due to the Covid-19 outbreak in the French squad.

The Six Nations statement added: “Due to the postponement of the France v Scotland match, the Appeal Committee will have the opportunity to review Mr Fagerson’s playing schedule and consider the consequences of the postponement.”

No new date has been agreed for the France game. Scotland’s home match against Ireland is scheduled for March 14, with Italy due to visit BT Murrayfield six days later.

The good news for Scotland and Fagerson is that he will be available for at least one of the games against Italy or France.

The player was sent off in the 25-24 home defeat by Wales on February 13 for charging into a ruck where he made contact with Wyn Jones.

He then appeared before a Six Nations independent disciplinary committee which found him guilty of infringing Law 9.20(a).

Fagerson accepted that he had committed an act of foul play, but did not accept that it warranted a red card.

The disciplinary committee disagreed and found that it warranted a “mid-range entry point” of six weeks’ suspension, which was reduced by two weeks due to mitigating factors

The appeal heard submissions from Fagerson and his legal counsel, Bruce Caldow, as well as from Six Nations’ legal representative.

Fagerson challenged a number of the disciplinary committee’s findings, including that he had infringed Law 9.20(a), that he warranted a red card, that he had made ‘direct’ contact with Jones’ head, that the mitigating factors allowed him a reduction in his suspension of just two weeks, and that the two Glasgow matches in the Guinness Pro14 to be played on the fallow weekends in the Six Nations Championship should not ‘count’ towards his suspension.

The committee dismissed Fagerson’s contentions about the red card and the length of the ban but conceded that the two Glasgow matches should count as part of the suspension.

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