Keith Earls ruled out of All Blacks game after two week suspension

Munster and Ireland centre Keith Earls has been suspended for two weeks following his red card in last Saturday's Champions Cup win over Glasgow.

An independent Disciplinary Hearing met in London on Wednesday, upholding the red card decision - they found that the offence was at the low end of World Rugby’s sanctions and selected four weeks as the appropriate entry point.

As there were no aggravating factors however, the committee then reduced the sanction by a maximum of two weeks due to Earls’ “timely guilty plea, expression of remorse and clean disciplinary record.”

Earls will be free to play on Monday November 7th, meaning he will sit out Ireland’s test against New Zealand two days earlier in Chicago. He will however be available to face Canada on the 12th.

Earls was sent off by French referee Jérôme Garcès for a dangerous tackle on Glasgow hooker Fraser Brown in the 19th minute of the match at Thomond Park.

Both the player and EPCR have the right to appeal Wednesday’s decision.

Law 10.4 (j) Dangerous tackling

Under World Rugby’s Sanctions for Foul Play, Law 10.4 (j), Lifting a player from the ground and either dropping or driving that player’s head and/or upper body into the ground while the player’s feet are off the ground, carries the following sanction entry points - Low End: 4 weeks; Mid-Range: 8 weeks; Top End: 12 to 52 weeks.