Stafford McDowall, Glasgow Centre, Handed Three-Week Suspension

Stafford McDowall, who plays centre for both Glasgow Warriors and Scotland, has received a three-week suspension. This sanction follows an incident during Glasgow’s Champions Cup defeat last weekend, where he was found to have made “reckless contact with the eye” of Toulon player Facundo Isa. The 26-year-old player was cited for this incident post-match, an event that had not been observed by officials during the game itself. The transgression was classified as being at the lower end of the seriousness spectrum. While the initial guideline for such an offence was a six-week suspension, this was later halved to three weeks due to McDowall’s “good disciplinary record and timely acceptance of the charge”. As a result of the ban, McDowall will be unavailable for both upcoming 1872 Cup fixtures against Edinburgh during the festive season, as well as Glasgow’s Champions Cup encounter with Racing 92.