Wales U20s stars Logan Franklin and Tom Cottle have been summoned to a disciplinary hearing after they were both shown red cards during Friday's defeat to Scotland.
Richard Whiffin's side saw their title hopes ended as Scotland secured a surprise 27-12 win in Edinburgh, having lost 22 of their previous 23 Six Nations matches. But while the hosts deserved their win, Wales were undone by their own first-half implosion which saw both Franklin and Cottle sent off.
Scrum-half Franklin was shown a 20-minute red card midway through the first half for a dangerous 'croc roll' clearout on Scottish wing Nairn Moncrieff. Replays showed Moncrieff land awkwardly under the challenge of the Dragons Academy man, with referee Katsuki Furuse concluding that there was a "high degree of danger".
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However, it would get even worse for Wales as they were reduced to 13 men just over 10 minutes later, with Cottle also being given his marching orders. The Welsh second-row tried to charge down the kick of scrum-half Noah Cowan, but followed through in the challenge with his shoulder making direct contact with the Scotsman's head.
The hit sparked anger amongst the home side, as Cottle was surrounded by blue jerseys and shoved as appeals were made to the referee. After Furuse diffused the situation, he again went to the TMO and concluded that it was "always an illegal action" and, again, "a high degree of danger".
As a result, Cottle was shown a straight red - a quite unusual move since the introduction of the 20-minute card - with Wales seeing out the end of the first half with a two-man disadvantage. While Whiffin's side were able to bring it back to 14 men after half-time - with Sion Davies replacing Franklin at scrum-half - Scotland's advantage saw them weather a Welsh storm and emerge victorious.
There was some debate around Cottle's dismissal on social media, with some fans arguing it was a "terrible" challenge from the Cardiff Academy lock, who "shouldn't have put himself in that position". However, others claimed that "the game has gone soft", arguing that the Welshman was carried into Cowan by momentum with little he could do to change his path of direction.
The decision to show a straight red rather than a 20-minute sanction sparked surprise among many after recent incidents, such as Gary Ringrose's challenge on Ben Thomas in the Wales v Ireland match, receiving the lesser punishment.
Either way, both Franklin and Cottle will now face the music on Tuesday evening with the pair set to miss the final match of the tournament against unbeaten leaders England. Two statements from the Six Nations on Monday confirmed that both men had been summoned.
"Wales Number 5, Tom Cottle, will attend an independent disciplinary hearing after he was awarded a red card by Referee, Katsuki Furuse, for an act of foul play contrary to Law 9.25 (A player must not intentionally charge or obstruct an opponent who has just kicked the ball) in the U20 Six Nations match between Scotland and Wales on Friday 7th March 2025," the first statement read.
The second statement added: "Wales Number 9, Logan Franklin, will attend an independent disciplinary hearing after he was awarded a red card by Referee, Katsuki Furuse, for an act of foul play contrary to Law 9.20 (e) (A player must not drop their weight onto an opponent or target the lower limbs) in the U20 Six Nations match between Scotland and Wales on Friday 7th March 2025."
The independent disclipinary committee for both hearings will be comprised of chair Brenda Heather-Latu of Samoa, Val Toma of Romania and Martyn Wood of England). Franklin's hearing will take place at 6pm on Tuesday, with Cottle's to be held at 8pm.
