France Women’s lock Manon Andre suspended for making contact with Irish eye

Manon Andre has been issued a three-week suspension after being cited for making contact with the eyes of an opponent when France Women beat Ireland Women 10-5 in Ashbourne last Friday.

According to a statement released tonight by the RBS Six Nations, the disciplinary committee "having heard from the player and her representatives and viewed video footage of the incident, determined that Manon Andre had committed an act of foul play and upheld the citing." A 12-week ban was on the cards for the Frenchwoman but she saw that timeframe reduced to just three weeks. "It noted the need for deterrence but also the existence of compelling and exceptional off-field mitigating factors in applying a nine week reduction from the entry point, to reflect the fact that, without such a reduction, the sanction would be wholly disproportionate to the type and level of offending in this particular case." The suspension, though, does rule Andre out of France's clash with Wales Women on 27 February. The decision on Pascal Pape's citing, meanwhile, has been delayed until tomorrow.