Julian White, the England and British Lions prop, was suspended for eight weeks by a Rugby Football Union disciplinary panel following his sending off playing for Leicester Tigers in last Friday’s Guinness Premiership match against Newcastle Falcons at Welford Road.

White admitted an offence of striking an opponent – Newcastle lock Andy Perry – and was suspended from October 15 to December 12. He was also ordered to pay £250 costs.

The panel decided that the offence was a mid-range one which would normally attract a sentence of three months. However White was given credit for his plea of guilty at the earliest possible opportunity and his public statements of remorse.

The same panel imposed a four weeks suspension on Perry who was found guilty of striking an opponent with his head. Perry was sent off along with Perry in the Leicester Tigers v Newcastle Falcons match.

Perry was suspended until November 16 and ordered to pay £250 costs.

Richard Moon, the panel chairman, said that the offence was committed “under extreme provocation and the action was in self-defence and had no obvious effect on the player he struck.”

The other panel members at the Coventry M6 Holiday Inn Hotel were Mike Rafter and John Loughton.

A different panel, also sitting at the Coventry M6 Holiday Inn Hotel, suspended Paul Knight, the Pertemps Bees scrum-half, for six weeks for stamping on the head of an opponent during the National League One game against London Welsh on September 17.

Knight will be free to play again on October 31 having been suspended by his club since the offence was committed.

The panel who dealt with Knight’s case was: Christopher Quinlan (chairman), Bob Taylor, the RFU Council member for East Midlands and Geoff Payne, the RFU Council member for Warwickshire.