Moody hit with six-week ban for throwing punch

Moody can resume playing on 19 October and will therefore be available for his club's opening Heineken Cup match with Clermont Auvergne that weekend. He missed both the Premiership draw at Wasps and last Saturday's victory over Bath, and will also sit out the next two league fixtures, against Leeds and Newcastle, plus the first two rounds of the new Powergen Cup tournament, in which the four Welsh regional sides are competing with the top-flight English teams.

Under the union's new disciplinary code, with its toughened stance against violent conduct, Moody could have been banned for as long as a year. But last night's panel, sitting in Coventry and chaired by Judge Jeff Blackett, gave the player credit for his admission of guilt, his remorse and his previous good record.