Saracens and England prop Mako Vunipola has been banned for four games following his red card in the Premiership game against Newcastle.
The 32-year-old was sent off for a dangerous tackle on Falcons hooker Bryan Byrne in Saturday’s 37-19 win.
Vunipola admitted foul play but said it did not meet the red card threshold.
An independent disciplinary panel upheld the sending-off and imposed the ban, which will see Vunipola return in time for the Six Nations.
Vunipola will miss Saracens’ games in the Premiership against Leicester Tigers and Exeter Chiefs, either side of their Investec Champions Cup matches at Bordeaux-Begles and at home to Lyon.
However, he will be available for England’s Six Nations opener against Italy in Rome on 3 February if selected by head coach Steve Borthwick, whose three World Cup squad loosehead props Ellis Genge, Joe Marler and Bevan Rodd are currently injured.
Vunipola was ineligible to take part in World Rugby’s coaching intervention programme, which could have seen his ban reduced by one game, having completed it previously in 2022.
The New Zealand-born forward, who started his career at Bristol, made his debut for England in 2012 and has amassed 71 caps. He qualified for the national team having lived in Wales and England since the age of seven.
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