- Northampton hold off Bath to win Saturday’s Premiership final
- Beno Obano saw the red card in the 21st minute of the match
- He was dismissed for a dangerous tackle on Northampton’s number 8, Juarno Augustus.
Bath prop Beno Obano must wait to find out when he will be able to play again after receiving a four-match ban for the dangerous tackle that led to a red card in the Premiership final.
The 29-year-old English player was sent off just 21 minutes into the national final after a high shot over Northampton’s number 8, Juarno Augustus.
In his absence, the West Country club were overtaken by the Saints, who won the league title after finishing top of the table.
Obano appeared before a three-man disciplinary panel via video link on Wednesday and pleaded guilty to foul play, but disputed whether the offense justified a red card.
The panel, chaired by Matthew Weaver KC, concluded that the on-field sanction was appropriate but reduced the six-week point-of-entry suspension to two weeks due to the player’s remorse and good conduct.
Beno Obano, given a four-match ban after being sent off in the Premiership final
Obano can reduce the deadline by an additional week by completing a “tackle school” course.
As we are now out of season and matches for the upcoming domestic campaign have yet to be confirmed, it is still unclear when Obano will complete his suspension period.
He was considered a candidate for a place on the England tour, after an injury to Ellis Genge left a vacancy in the squad, but national selector Steve Borthwick opted to call up Joe Marler for the tour to Japan and New Zealand.
Meanwhile, Premiership Rugby is celebrating a successful climax to the 2023-24 English club campaign, with a peak audience of 1.25 million for the final, the fastest sell-out Twickenham stadium to date and a strong participation on digital and social media platforms.