March 11 (Reuters) - France forward Oscar Jegou will miss their Six Nations decider against England after being banned for four weeks by an independent disciplinary committee, tournament organisers said in a statement on Wednesday.
Jegou was found guilty of reckless contact with the eye area during their Six Nations match against Scotland last Saturday.
The committee ruled that the incident, involving Scotland hooker Ewan Ashman, should have resulted in a red card, although it was not spotted by match officials during the game that ended with a 50-40 victory for Scotland.
Footage of the incident provoked plenty of post-match debate, and the 22-year-old was cited for an act of "foul play".
The committee amended the charge from intentional eye contact to reckless contact with the eyes and upheld the citing.
Under World Rugby sanction guidelines, the offence carries a low-end entry point of six weeks, but Jegou’s suspension was reduced to four weeks due to mitigating factors, including his good disciplinary record and conduct.
No injury was caused and there were no aggravating factors, the committee added. Jegou retains the right to appeal the decision.
France and Scotland are locked together on 16 points at the top of the Six Nations standings, with Ireland two points behind heading into the final weekend.
France face England in Paris on Saturday, when Scotland visit Ireland.
(Reporting by Tommy Lund in GdanskEditing by Toby Davis)
