Bath prop Beno Obano handed four-match ban for dangerous tackle in final defeat

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Andrew Feinberg

White House Correspondent

Beno Obano has received a four-match ban for his dangerous tackle in Bath’s defeat by Northampton in the Gallagher Premiership final.

Obano was sent off 21 minutes into Saturday’s Twickenham showdown after making contact with the head of Saints number eight Juarno Augustus.

The England prop argued at his disciplinary hearing that while the challenge was foul play, it was not a red-card offence.

However, the committee deemed it a sending off and issued a four-game suspension that will be reduced to three if Obano completes World Rugby’s coaching intervention programme, otherwise known as ‘tackle school’.

The matches affected by the suspension have yet to be confirmed due to his dismissal taking place on the final weekend of the season.

Bath rallied courageously in response to Obano’s exit and even led 21-18 until the 72nd minute, only for a converted Alex Mitchell try to register a 25-21 loss.

The suspension cost Obano consideration for a place on England’s summer tour to Japan and New Zealand, which departed for Tokyo on Wednesday, due to his potential unavailability for the upcoming Tests.

He had been earmarked for the standby list according to head coach Steve Borthwick, but the length of the ban has scuppered the possibility of him being called up in the event of injury to travelling looseheads Joe Marler, Bevan Rodd and Fin Baxter.

“From both a medical and a disciplinary point of view, I wanted to make sure this selection was one that was definitive,” Borthwick said at Monday’s squad announcement.

“The squad meets this afternoon, we train tomorrow morning and then we fly Wednesday morning.

“This is a squad that is going to come together in a couple of hours, so I want to make sure we can start our preparation then.”