Adre Smith has been banned for eight weeks.
The DHL Stormers lock was found guilty of an act of foul play on Munster hooker Niall Scannell during last week's United Rugby Championship game at Thomond Park.
Smith was accused of biting Scannell on the leg early in the second half of the match.
The 24-year old faced a disciplinary panel on Thursday having been cited for a breach of Law 9.12 (A player must not physically or verbally abuse anyone. Physical abuse includes, but is not limited to, biting, punching, contact with the eye or eye area, striking with any part of the arm (including stiff-arm tackles), shoulder, head or knee(s), stamping, trampling, tripping or kicking.)
A TMO review of the incident at the time could not determine whether Smith had actually bitten Scannell on the leg. This was despite protests from Munster captain Peter O'Mahony, saying, "“Yeah, 100 per cent he [Scannell] has got a full-on bite mark."
A disciplinary panel comprised of Sheriff Kathrine Mackie, Iain Leslie [both Scotland] and Janet Gedrych [Wales] concluded there was an act of foul play.
Smith's previous disciplinary record was taken into account, meaning a 12-week ban became an 8-week ban.
He'll miss the Stormers' next eight games as a result, which includes a January 8 trip to the Sportsground to play Connacht.
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