Facundo Gattas banned for 3 weeks

Uruguay hooker Facundo Gattas attended a disciplinary hearing on 1 October having received a red card from referee Wayne Barnes for an act of foul play contrary to Law 9.13 (dangerous high tackle) in Uruguay’s Rugby World Cup 2019 match against Georgia on 29 September.

Gattas sought to overturn the red card, with the panel upholding the decision of the referee after considering all the angles of the incident, together with evidence from the player and his representatives.

Therefore, the panel did not find that the referee’s decision was wrong and they decided to apply World Rugby’s mandatory minimum mid-range entry point of a six-week suspension.

The committee then reduced the six-week entry point by three weeks, resulting in a sanction of three weeks.

Gattas will miss Uruguay’s two remaining pool matches (against Australia on 5 October and Wales on 13 October) and the quarter-final at Rugby World Cup 2019 or should Uruguay not qualify for the quarter-final, the player’s next club match in his domestic competition. Therefore the player is free to play again on 21 October, 2019.