20 Dec 2008

Spear tackle on Dan Carter earns six week ban

7:14 am on 20 December 2008

The Leicester and England rugby half back Harry Ellis has been banned for six weeks for his spear tackle on Alll Black and Perpignan first five Dan Carter in the teams' Heineken Cup clash last weekend.

Ellis was cited after the incident when Carter, making his debut for the French club, was upended in a tackle and landed head-first.

Leicester pre-empted the independent disciplinary committee hearing in Dublin by banning Ellis for one game and he admitted he had been guilty of making a dangerous tackle.

But the committee decided the offence was "of the top-end of the level of seriousness for a dangerous tackle" and suspended him until Jan 25 inclusive.