Viktor Kolelishvili banned for 14 weeks for pushing Wayne Barnes

Clermont Auvergne's Georgian backrow Viktor Kolelishvili has been suspended for 14 weeks for pushing referee Wayne Barnes during last Friday's Champions Cup game against Ospreys at the Liberty Stadium.

Kolelishvili faced an independent disciplinary hearing in Paris on Tuesday after he was cited by the match commissioner Rafter for pushing Barnes in the 17th minute of the game in contravention of Law 10.4 (m).

Kolelishvili pleaded guilty to the offence.

The ruling read: “In upholding the citing complaint, the Judicial Officer found that Kolelishvili had committed an act of foul play that warranted a red card. He determined that the offence was at the low end of World Rugby’s sanctions and selected 24 weeks as the appropriate entry point.

“He added two weeks due to the player’s poor disciplinary record before reducing the sanction by half of the entry point taking into account Kolelishvili’s immediate apology to the referee, his subsequent remorse, guilty plea and good conduct at the hearing. He then imposed a suspension of 14 weeks.”