Saracens prop Rhys Carre will miss Wales' Six Nations opener against Italy after being handed a three-week ban for a dangerous tackle.

Carre was sent off in the Champions Cup win against Ospreys last Saturday.

The 21-year-old was red-carded after five minutes by French referee Alexandre Ruiz for a shoulder-led tackle on Ospreys full-back Dan Evans.

Ruiz adjudged Carre made contact with Evans' head or neck with no arms used in the tackle.

Wales face Italy at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff on Saturday, 1 February with Carre now missing that game after facing a disciplinary hearing on Wednesday.

The committee upheld the red card decision, finding that Carre had made contact with Evans' head in a dangerous manner.

It determined the offence was at the mid-range of World Rugby's sanctions and selected six weeks as the appropriate entry point.

There were no aggravating factors, and taking into account the player's guilty plea, clear disciplinary record and expression of remorse, the committee reduced the sanction by the maximum of 50% before imposing a three-week suspension.

Carre is free to play again on Monday, 3 February and will be available for Wales' second match against Ireland in Dublin on 8 February.

Carre and European Professional Club Rugby (EPCR) have the right to appeal the decision.

The 21-year-old is one of three loose-head props named in Wayne Pivac's Six Nations squad alongside Scarlets duo Wyn Jones and Rob Evans with Nicky Smith left out.

Carre has won six Wales caps with his starting debut against Ireland in August 2019 followed by five 2019 World Cup replacement appearances in Japan.

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