Ireland hooker Jerry Flannery will miss the rest of the RBS 6 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.
Ireland contested 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.
