On in the 43rd minute, Tolu Latu was sent off in the 71st for a dangerous clear-out on Matthis Lebel. The disciplinary committee delivered its verdict on Thursday.

Four weeks, no reduction

Tolu Latu has been banned for four weeks by the league’s disciplinary committee. The Australian hooker, who came on in the 43rd minute, was sent off in the 71st against Stade Toulousain for a dangerous clear-out on Toulouse wing Matthis Lebel.

La Rochelle played the last nine minutes with fourteen men, and it was in that situation that Antoine Hastoy kicked the winning penalty, 30-27.

The ban covers the trip to Toulon and the rounds that follow. He will not be available before October.

A regular starter

It is no small loss for Ronan O’Gara. Last season, Latu played 20 Top 14 matches, 13 of them as a starter, for 1,040 minutes, plus two starts in the Champions Cup.

At 33, he shared the position with Pierre Bourgarit and Quentin Lespiaucq-Brettes, who will now have to cover it between them, with Nika Sutidze and Gabin Garault as back-up.

An already crowded treatment room

The ban adds to a growing list. Sam Tuifua is out for several weeks with a dead leg picked up in the same match, and Nolann Le Garrec has been ruled out of the Toulon game with a medial collateral ligament sprain.