South African loose forward Henco Venter will be unavailable for selection for at least the next six games after being handed a hefty sanction for foul play.

This comes after he copped a six-week ban which follows an incident in the Glasgow Warriors’ Champions Cup playoff win against the Leicester Tigers last week.

In the video footage of the incident, Venter can be seen making contact with the eye area of Tigers prop Dan Cole. He has since appeared before a disciplinary committee and has been found guilty as charged and sanctioned accordingly.

The six-week ban will see the South African sit out the Glasgow Warriors’ remaining Vodacom URC round-robin league fixtures against Zebre Parma (April 19), Vodacom Bulls (April 25), Benetton (May 10) and Leinster (May 17)and Friday’s Investec Champions Cup playoff against Leinster.

Should the Warriors progress past this week’s Champions Cup quarter-final against Leinster, Venter would also miss the semi-final over the weekend of 2-4 May.

An independent disciplinary committee determined that the South African’s actions constituted reckless contact with the eye under Law 9.12. While the player accepted committing an act of foul play warranting a red card, he maintained it wasn’t intentional.

The committee assessed the offence at mid-range severity, carrying a 12-week entry point. However, they reduced the sanction by 50% – the maximum allowable – considering Venter’s clean disciplinary record, remorse, and full cooperation during the hearing.

entLeicester filed an official complaint regarding the incident, which occurred when a maul collapsed near the tryline. Video footage shows Cole lying face down with his arm around Venter’s head before the South African loose forward apparently reached forward and made contact with his eye.

DID THE SOUTH AFRICAN PLAYER GET A SUITABLE SANCTION?

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Src: TheSouthAfrican.com - https://rugga.co.za/glasgow-warriors/guilty-as-charged-south-african-banned-for-eye-gouging/