‘16th player’ Byrne banned for Wales opener

WALES star Lee Byrne has been banned from the RBS Six Nations opener against England at Twickenham next week.

Byrne must serve a two-week suspension after he admitted a misconduct charge following his brief appearance as a 16th player during the Ospreys’ Heineken Cup victory over Leicester last Saturday.

An independent European Rugby Cup disciplinary committee, sitting in Dublin yesterday, fined the Ospreys €25,000 after they also pleaded guilty to a misconduct complaint.