O'Connor, Alan - Law 10.4(e+m) Citing

Alan O'Connor, the Ulster second row forward, appeared before an independent PRO12 rugby disciplinary committee on 15 October, following a citing complaint made against him for a dangerous tackle under law 10.4(e) on Glasgow's Mark Bennett in the Guinness PRO12 match between Ulster and Glasgow on Saturday, 11 October 2014.

The disciplinary committee, chaired by Roger Morris (Wales) along with Rhian Williams (Wales) and Dr Barry O'Driscoll (Ireland), viewed footage of the incident and considered evidence of the injuries suffered by Mr Bennett (who was left unconscious) and having listened to representations made by and on behalf of the player, found that the incident was at the mid-range of the IRB sanctions for this type of offence, carrying a six-week sanction. In the absence of any aggravating factors and in light of several compelling mitigating factors, including the player's exemplary previous playing record, the disciplinary committee applied a three-week reduction from the entry point and suspended the player from playing for three weeks.

Alan O'Connor was free to resume playing from Monday, 3 November 2014.

Law 10.4(e): A player must not tackle an opponent early, late or dangerously. A player must not tackle (or try to tackle) an opponent above the line of the shoulders even if the tackle starts below the line of the shoulders. A tackle around the opponent's neck or head is dangerous play.