Flannery to miss rest of Six Nations as ban appeal upheld

IRELAND hooker Jerry Flannery will miss the rest of the RBS Six Nations championship after losing his appeal against a six-week ban for kicking France wing Alexis Palisson.

Flannery pleaded guilty to the charge at an independent disciplinary hearing in Dublin last month and was ruled out of the remaining Six Nations fixtures.

The Irish camp nevertheless opted to contest the verdict in a bid to get the length of the ban reduced, but an independent Six Nations appeals committee today upheld the original decision.