EDINBURGH will be without the services of veteran prop WP Nel for their next two matches after a disciplinary panel upheld a charge against him of striking an opponent’s head with his shoulder during last week’s Challenge Cup win over Pau at the DAM Health Stadium.
The charge was brought by match citing commissioner Dana Teagarden, despite the fact that the Television Match Official at the game, Ben Whitehouse, decided at the time it was just a rugby incident. Agreeing with German official Teagarden that there was a case to answer, the panel decided that the tighthead prop’s offence was in the mid-entry category, where the punishment starts at a six-week suspension.
However, they then halved that because Nel admitted he had committed an act of foul play and has a clean disciplinary record. And the three weeks will be cut to two provided the veteran prop completes a so-called World Rugby Coaching Intervention, a very short course which is designed to make players more aware of the dangers of head contact.
As long as he does that - something which is regarded as a formality - the 35-year-old Nel will miss only this Saturday’s Challenge Cup last-16 tie against Bath and next weekend’s URC game against Zebre. The next game he will be free to play in will be the URC clash with Ulster at the end of the month.
Nel was a substitute in the win over Pau and came off the bench early because of an injury to Luan de Bruin, who is now a doubt for the Bath match. The incident for which he was cited involved French prop Teo Bordenave and occurred in the 42nd minute of the match, which Edinburgh won 54-5. If De Bruin is ruled out of the game against the English Premiership side, Lee-Roy Atalifo is expected to start at tighthead, with Angus Williams as back-up.
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