Three game ban for Catalan Dragan forward Zeb Taia for shoulder charge

Catalan Dragons forward Zeb Taia has been handed a three-game ban by the Rugby Football League (RFL) for a shoulder charge on St Helens half-back Gareth O'Brien during their Super League clash.

O'Brien was knocked out by Taia in an off-the-ball incident during Saints' 26-6 victory in Perpignan last Saturday.

Former Parramatta Eels and New Zealand Knights player Taia pleaded not guilty to a charge of reckless striking with the shoulder at an RFL disciplinary tribunal but was found guilty of the grade C offence by the panel.The 28-year-old was also handed a £300 by and will miss the Dragons' matches with Bradford, Wigan and Leeds.

Saints coach Nathan Brown was enraged by the incident which occurred less than two weeks after O'Brien was hurt in a similar challenge from Wigan's Scott Taylor.

Brown has revealed O'Brien, currently on loan from Warrington, will miss their game with Super League bottom club London Broncos at Langtree Park on Friday night.

Specialist

"He won't play. He is going to see a specialist," said Brown."I believe he'd pass the tests you're supposed to do but he's had two heavy knocks in two weeks now and I don't believe it's right to play him.

"The doc's going to send him to see the right people and we'll see what they say."

Meanwhile, St Helens prop Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook and Catalan's Mikael Simon avoided suspension after they entered 'early guilty pleas' to grade A charges of punching during the same game.

But Hull KR's Lincoln Withers was suspended for one match after submitting an 'early guilty plea' to a grade B charge of dangerous contact for a challenge on Wigan full-back Ryan Hampshire during the Warriors' 21-16 win at the DW Stadium on Friday.

Skynews