This clip of a forearm smack comes with a health warning.
Nick Williams’ season is effectively over. Unless the Ulster back-rower wins an appeal on his eight-week ban, he will not feature in the final matches of the Guinness PRO12 season.
This is a clip of Williams’ hit on Cardiff Blues’ Rhys Patchell, which earned him a yellow card at the time.
Patchell needed medical treatment on the pitch and his jersey, and under-layer, had to be cut off in order to aid his breathing.
A PRO12 statement, released this afternoon states: ‘[The disciplinary committee], having viewed footage of the incident and listened to representations made by and on behalf of the player, found that the incident was at the top end of the World Rugby sanctions for this type of offence, meriting a 16 week starting point.
‘In the absence of any aggravating factors and in light of several mitigating factors, including the player’s exemplary previous playing record, the committee applied an eight-week reduction from the entry point and suspended the player from playing for eight weeks.
‘Taking into account the matches remaining this season, and two warm up matches scheduled for the start of next season, Williams is free to resume playing from Monday, 1 September and has the right of appeal.’
