Welsh rugby star banned for ‘dangerous and reckless’ tackle but fans can’t believe it

Ospreys prop Tom Botha has been banned for three weeks for what has been judged to be a “dangerous and reckless” tackle in his side’s Challenge Cup defeat to Gloucester.

The 33-year-old was cited following the quarter-final at Kingsholm, having tackled Gloucester centre Seb Atkinson in a “dangerous manner” in the 12th minute. No action was taken by the referee during the game.

Botha appeared before a disclipinary hearing on Wednesday and accepted that he had committed an act of foul play. However, he did not accept that the tackle warranted a red card. But the disciplinary panel disagreed, upholding the citing complaint having judged the Welsh-qualified prop to have made a “dangerous and reckless” tackle on Atkinson, which did warrant a sending-off.

SIGN UP: Get the new exclusive Inside Welsh rugby newsletter for full insight into what’s really going on around all the big issues. This special offer will get you full access for the entire year for just £1src instead of £4src.

READ MORE: Ospreys announce signing of Wales star from rivals as ‘next chapter’ starts

The panel decided that the offending was at the mid-range of World Rugby’s sanctions, with six weeks selected as the appropriate endtry point. However, taking into account Botha’s admission of foul play and his clear disciplinary record, the suspension was halved to three weeks.

Botha’s suspension runs unt