England Six Nations star handed two-match ban

The England No.10 appeared before an independent Disciplinary Committee via Zoom on Monday morning after being dismissed in the 62nd minute for an act of foul play contrary to Law 9.13.

The committee – chaired by Judge Mike Mika and comprising Wayne Erickson and David Croft – upheld the red card decision after the player accepted that his actions amounted to foul play and warranted dismissal.

Applying World Rugby’s sanction framework, the panel determined a mid-range entry point of six weeks was appropriate due to contact with the head and/or neck area.

However, Davidson received the maximum 50 per cent mitigation after citing a clean disciplinary record, immediate acceptance of the charge and good conduct. The sanction was therefore reduced to a three-week suspension.

Davidson has been granted permission to apply for World Rugby’s Coaching Intervention Programme. If approved, the final match of his suspension can be substituted with participation in the programme, which focuses on correcting technical issues that contributed to the foul play incident.

He was also reminded of his right to appeal.

Provided his application is successful, Davidson will miss: