SCOTLAND Under-20s flanker Harri Morris has been handed a three-match suspension following his red-carding during last Saturday’s Six Nations defeat to Ireland. He will miss the team’s next three matches against England this Friday, Italy next Thursday [1st July] and France six days later [7th July], before becoming available again for the last game of the championship against Wales on Tuesday 13th July.
Morris appeared before an independent Disciplinary Committee via a Zoom call today [Tuesday] after a collision with Irish full-back Jamie Osborne as he collected a high ball in the 40th minute of Saturday’s match. He was sent off for an infringement of Law 9.17, that “a player must not tackle, charge, pull, push or grasp an opponent whose feet are off the ground”.
He accepted that he had committed an act of foul play, but did not accept that it warranted a red card. The disciplinary panel – comprising Rhian Williams (Wales, Chair), Val Toma (Romania) and Bogdan Zebega (Romania) – decided the offence had warranted a red card with a lower-range entry point of a four week suspension.
This was reduced by one week to take account of mitigating factors including his previously clean record, his youth and inexperience, his conduct at the hearing and his spontaneous apology to his opponent.