Ulster captain Iain Henderson banned for 'croc roll' tackle on Deon Fourie

Henderson was initially shown a yellow card by Italian referee Andrea Piardi, before the incident was later upgraded to a 20-minute red card after review.

The disciplinary case centred on a 'croc roll' tackle used by Henderson at the ruck. Fourie suffered a season-ending knee injury as a result of the tackle, which involves twisting or rolling a player away from the ball in a dangerous manner.

It was a particularly cruel blow for the 40-year-old Fourie, who recently overcame back-to-back injuries to return to action.

At his hearing, Henderson accepted that his actions constituted foul play warranting a red card.

The panel determined the offence met the threshold for a mid-range entry point of six weeks' suspension due to its reckless nature.

However, the sanction was reduced by 50% after the committee took into account Henderson's previously clean disciplinary record, as well as his remorse, immediate concern for Fourie, and cooperation during proceedings.

That brought the final punishment down to three matches.

As a result, Henderson will miss Ulster's URC fixture against Glasgow Warriors on Friday and the EPCR Challenge Cup final against Montpellier. He could also be sidelined for a potential URC quarter-final.

If Ulster fail to reach the URC play-offs, the ban would additionally rule him out of Ireland's Nations Championship clash against Australia on 4 July.