Exeter Forward Linde van der Velden Receives Four-Week Ban

Linde van der Velden, the Netherlands international forward for Exeter, has been issued a four-week suspension for a dangerous tackle. Van der Velden has been with Exeter since the club’s formation in 2020. The 29-year-old was cited following her club’s 29-12 victory over Saracens in their Premiership Women’s Rugby top-of-the-table fixture on Saturday. Van der Velden admitted to committing a high tackle an hour into the match at Sandy Park. The incident was not witnessed by the referee during the game, but Van der Velden accepted the charge after being cited based on video evidence. As a result, she will miss Exeter’s upcoming matches against Loughborough Lightning and Sale Sharks over the next two weeks. Additionally, she will be unavailable for the Netherlands’ consecutive international games with Brazil, scheduled for the end of this month and the start of December.