Connacht prop Paddy McAllister will face a PRO14 Disciplinary Committee tomorrow, after being cited for an alleged dangerous tackle during the first half of his side's heavy defeat to Ulster on Friday night.
McAllister escaped punishment at the time for the incident, when he appeared to make contact with the head of Ulster number 8 Marcell Coetzee.
Coetzee was withdrawn shortly after the incident for a Head Injury Assessment but didn't return to the game, while McAllister was also withdrawn six minutes later, having injured himself in the incident.
"There will probably be a citing after that, but Ulster probably won't get the advantage."@docallaghan4 was surprised referee Sean Gallagher failed to show a card for Connacht prop Paddy McAllister's shoulder tackle on Marcell Coetzee.#ULSvCON #GuinnessPRO14 pic.twitter.com/O5hFKrrkQE
— eir Sport (@eirSport) December 27, 2019
"The complaint refers to an incident involving Ulster Rugby No 8 (Marcell Coetzee) in the 22nd minute of the Guinness PRO14 Round 9 fixture at Kingspan Stadium (Belfast).
"The player has been reported by the Citing Commissioner in charge for infringement of Law 9.13 – a player must not tackle an opponent early, late or dangerously. Dangerous tackling includes but is not limited to tackling or attempting to tackle an opponent above the line of the shoulders even if the tackle starts below the line of the shoulders.
"The Player will face a Disciplinary Committee via video conference. The Committee will comprise of Owain Rhys James (Chair, Wales), Robert Milligan and Jennifer Rae (both Scotland)," a PRO14 statement reads.
McAllister has already apologised for the incident on Twitter, saying any contact with Coetzee's head was unintentional.
Massively disappointed in the result last night and how it ended for both myself and Marcel. Zero intent in the head clash and for those who think otherwise don’t know me, it was a special moment playing at Ravenhill again for the first time thanks for the travelling support 👏🏻👏🏻
— Paddy McAllister (@PaddyMcAllister) December 28, 2019
After two inter-pro defeats in a row, Connacht travel to Dublin to face Leinster this Saturday for their final Irish Derby of the festive season. Back-to-back defeats have seen Andy Friend's side drop to fourth in Conference B, behind Munster, Edinburgh and the Scarlets, with just seven points separating the top six in the table.
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