Leinster will be without Fergus McFadden for their Pro12 playoff semi-final, should they secure it, after the winger was slapped with a three-week suspension for his challenge on Edinburgh's Damien Hoyland last Friday night.
McFadden escaped a card of any colour for the tackle during Leinster's 30-23 bonus-point victory, but was cited last Monday after the independent citing commissioner reviewed the incident.
The 29-year-old appeared before an independent Pro12 Disciplinary Committee in Cardiff today, denying he committed an act of foul play.
However the committee found that the Ireland wing had recklessly carried out a high and dangerous tackle, an offence that merited a lower-end entry point based on World Rugby's scale of seriousness, which carries a two-week playing suspension.
The Disciplinary Committee added a week to the entry point suspension (giving three weeks in total) on account of an aggravating factor, namely the need for a deterrence to combat a pattern of offending.
The Disciplinary Committee determined that there were insufficient mitigating factors to warrant any reduction in the playing suspension, and McFadden was therefore banned for three weeks.
VIDEO: #AgainstTheHead panellists Gavin Duffy and Donal Lenihan don't hold back on @fergmcfadden's tackle #rterugbyhttps://t.co/rl5KII7tl3
— RTÉ Rugby (@RTErugby) April 18, 2016
Edinburgh centre Philip Burleigh was also been cited for for alleged contact with the eye area of an opponent, but he escaped santion after it was adjudged he did not commit an act of foul play.
He's suspended from playing up to and including Sunday, 22 May.
Leinster are top of the standings on points difference ahead of Connacht and are poised on to secure a home last-four collision.
They're 10 points clear of fifth-place Scarlets, and travel to Ulster, who lie fourth, on Saturday week. McFadden will miss that derby, as well as the game with Treviso at the RDS seven days later. The play-off semi is down for either Friday 20 May or Saturday 21 May, with the final in Murrayfield on Saturday 28 May.
