Banned lock Tevita Cavubati must face up to consequences, says Worcester Warriors chief Dean Ryan

The 28-year-old Fijian has been banned for nine weeks after biting an opponent in Sunday’s 20-13 Aviva Premiership defeat against London Irish.

Ryan said: “It’s an unacceptable part of the game.

“There is no real defence of it and we don’t condone it and the player needs to face up to the consequences.

“There are lots of mitigating factors which were presented– and that’s a reality.

“But there isn’t a defence of it and neither should there be, so the player needs to face up to the consequences and understand the impact it has on us as a club."

Cavubati will miss eight matches and cannot resume playing until Worcester host Wasps at Sixways on April 16 (3pm).

Cavubati pleaded guilty to the biting charge when he appeared before a Rugby Football Union (RFU) disciplinary hearing in Bristol.

Cavubati said: "I would like to apologise to all my teammates, the coaches and supporters for the incident which occurred at the weekend.

"I was feeling suffocated while being held down. I was struggling to breathe and reacted in a way that I would never normally do.

"I sincerely apologise to Jebb Sinclair for this behaviour. It was uncharacteristic and this is not the type of player I am."

Warriors chief executive Jim O'Toole said: "This is a very unfortunate incident that does not reflect our approach to the game in any way and is not a behaviour that we condone.”

Warriors host out-of-sorts Bath at Sixways on Saturday (3pm) and Ryan said the club needed to move forward.

“Darren Barry (damaged nerve in arm) is not a million miles away from returning but I’ve said that quite a few weeks running so we are in a difficult situation,” said Ryan.

“If he doesn’t make it, it will be Dan Sanderson or Darren O’Shea who have the potential to take their opportunities.

“I think we are running out of time looking to strengthen in that area. We have to look at the resources we’ve got and give them support.“