Interesting to compare the above with another case.

From the ERC site

Barry Irving, the Amatori Catania outside half (and former Glasgow player - Ed), has been suspended for five weeks after being sent off by French referee Didier Mene in the European Challenge Cup Round 1 Second Leg match against Sales Sharks at Edgeley Park yesterday (Sunday, 31 October).

Irving was sent off in the 79th minute for abuse of a match official. At the Disciplinary Hearing Mike Hamlin, the Match Commissioner, ruled that a touch judge had been abused and suspended the player from all rugby up to and including 5 December, 2004.

In that case, a number of Glasgow supporters are banned until the end of 2006 for a similar incident at Agen on Saturday night!

Maybe the discip panel, in mitigation, took the view that he was provoked in the first place by Mather. Doesn't excuse butting but when someone wallops you first well.....

From the Official Northampton Saints website

Northampton Saints fined flanker Darren Fox following an internal disciplinary in regard to the head-butting incident that took place during the club’s Heineken Cup pool three match against Glasgow, prior to the eight-week ban enforced by the ERC’s citing commissioner.

Fox pleaded guilt at the ERC hearing and the club has decided against an appeal to the decision made on Monday.

Operations director John Steele said today: “We were disappointed with Darren’s actions as they are not in keeping with either the way we play the game or conduct ourselves. An internal disciplinary committee fined Darren, who has made it clear he regrets his actions.

“Although the club has not chosen to appeal, it was disappointed in the inconsistency between the ban for Darren Fox and the equivalent ban on Agen’s Jean-Jacques Crenca, who was found guilty of head-butting Steve Thompson last year and received a three-week ban.”