Ulster: Ian Henderson suspended for Challenge Cup final

Ulster captain Ian Henderson will miss the Challenge Cup final against Montpellier after being handed a three-match ban by the United Rugby Championship.

Henderson was initially shown a yellow card in Ulster’s dramatic 38-38 draw with the Stormers in the United Rugby Championship on Friday which was later escalated to a 20-minute red card for a crock roll on Dion Fourie.

The 34-year-old appeared before an independent disciplinary committee this week and “admitted that he committed a foul play which warranted a red card”.

This was for the foul of Law 9.20 (d) which states that “a player may remove the tackler from the tackle area, but shall not roll, pull or twist the opponent”.

The Independent Disciplinary Committee felt that the act of foul play was “reckless” and deserved a “six-week mid-range entry point for sanction”.

But leniency was pleaded for Henderson because of his “good previous record (one suspension in a 15-year playing career), his remorse and immediate concern for opposing players and his good behavior and full cooperation with disciplinary proceedings”.

As a result, the second row was mitigated by 50%, reducing the length of his suspension to three weeks.

Henderson will miss Ulster’s final URC regular season game against Glasgow Warriors on Friday and the Challenge Cup final in Bilbao.

The final game of his ban depends on whether Richie Murphy’s side reach the URC play-offs.

If they finish in the top eight and reach the quarter-finals at the end of the month, Henderson will be banned for that game, but if they fail to qualify, Henderson’s ban will carry over to Ireland’s Nations Championship opener against Australia on July 4.