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Rugby

24th May 2017

Proof, as if you needed it, that nothing comes easy for Munster

Red card rescinded

Niall McIntyre

He destroyed Leinster, he’s back for Munster on Saturday.

The Scarlets have received a major boost ahead of Saturday’s Guinness PRO12 final against Munster, with their in-form winger Steff Evans cleared to play by a disciplinary panel.

Evans received a red card during Scarlet’s semi-final win over Leinster at the RDS, when referee Marius Mitrea deemed his tackle on Garry Ringrose to have been a dangerous one.

The Leinster man landed on his head as Evans and Scarlets prop Samson Lee tackled him.

The Welsh winger has been in sparkling form throughout Scarlets’ PRO12 season and is the top try-scorer of the competition with 12 dot-downs.

The 22-year-old’s tackle was analysed by a PRO12 disciplinary panel in Edinburgh this morning. A PRO12 statement read, in part:

“The panel decided, by a majority, that the player undertook a lawful tackle in a manner that was consistent with the laws of the game… The tackle only became dangerous as a result of the intervention of Scarlets No 3 (Samson Lee).”

The panel referenced a similar incident involving Scottish pair Ross Ford and Jonny Gray, who had a three-week suspension overturned after the Scots’ 2015 Rugby World Cup victory against Samoa.

“The panel having directed itself under reference to the decision of the appeal committee in Ross Ford and Jonny Gray (RWC 2015) decided, by a majority, that this meant that the red card should be rescinded. The player is, therefore, free to play.”

Evans will pose a huge threat to the Munster-men on Saturday, a week after he cut the Leinster defence apart last week.

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Fancy heading along to this weekend’s PRO12 final in the Aviva Stadium? We’re teaming up with Mazda to give away one of two pairs of tickets to the game. 

Click here to enter…