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Bath's Freddie Burns handed three-week suspension after red card

Freddie Burns was sent off for a dangerous tackle during Bath's Aviva Premiership encounter with Worcester last weekend. Ben Hoskins/Getty Images

Bath flyhalf Freddie Burns has been given a three-week suspension following his red card on Saturday for a dangerous tackle on Worcester's Josh Adams.

Burns, 27, was sent off on what was his first Bath start after upending Adams with a tip-tackle in the 63rd minute of the Aviva Premiership contest at the Recreation Ground, which the hosts won 29-13.

Burns appeared before a Rugby Football Union disciplinary panel on Tuesday.

And in a subsequent statement from the RFU, the panel's chairman Gareth Graham said: "The panel heard evidence from the player as to the tackle and concluded that this was a reckless tackle that had, by the player's own admission, 'gone wrong' as opposed to an intentional act of foul play.

"Given that there was no injury to the Worcester player, the panel found it was a low-end entry point.

"The player accepted the charge in full, apologised immediately on-field and to the Worcester player post-match and has a clear disciplinary record. Therefore the panel gave full mitigation reducing the sanction to three weeks".

Burns will be available to play again from Oct. 31, meaning he will miss Bath's first two European Champions Cup fixtures against Benetton and Scarlets as well as the visit for Burns' former club Gloucester to the Rec in the Aviva Premiership .