Hines receives six-week ban for stamping

Nathan Hines has received a six-week ban for stamping on an opponent during last weekend’s opening round of the Heineken Cup.

The Clermont Auvergne lock was cited by match commissioner John Cole for stamping on Scarlets wing Morgan Stoddart and subsequently appeared before independent judicial officer Simon Thomas at a hearing in Dublin on Thursday.

Hines pleaded not guilty to the offence but a European Rugby Cup statement said that Thomas upheld the citing complaint and found that Hines had “stamped on his opponent and had connected on more than one occasion”.

Thomas decided the offence warranted a mid-range entry point of a five-week suspension, but he added a week due to Hines’ poor disciplinary record.

The 35-year-old will miss Clermont’s Heineken Cup trip to Exeter on Saturday, and cannot play again until November 26, although he will be available for Clermont’s crunch Pool Five clashes against holders Leinster in December.