Freddie Burns: Bath fly-half gets three-week ban for tip tackle

Freddie Burns was making his full debut for Bath in Saturday's Premiership match with Worcester

Bath's Freddie Burns has been suspended for three weeks after admitting making a dangerous tip tackle on Josh Adams during Saturday's game with Worcester.

The 27-year-old was sent off for the challenge in the 63rd minute of his side's 29-13 Premiership win.

He pleaded guilty to the offence when he appeared before a Rugby Football Union disciplinary panel on Tuesday.

Burns will miss Bath's opening two Champions Cup games and the Premiership derby with local rivals Gloucester.

Bath start their Champions Cup campaign at home to Italian side Treviso on Saturday before travelling to Scarlets on Friday, 20 October.

They face the Cherry and Whites at the Rec on Sunday, 29 October, two days before the ban expires.

"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," said chairman of the panel Gareth Graham.

"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, who won the last of his five England caps in 2014, started his career with Gloucester and joined Bath from Leicester in the summer in a move which saw current England fly-half George Ford go the other way.