Olivier Azam lies prostrate after his clash with Tom James

Cardiff Blues wing Tom James has been handed a two-week suspension after being sent off for head-butting in their Heineken Cup win at Gloucester.

James made contact with Olivier Azam's face, who appeared to go down heavily following the 27th-minute incident.

A disciplinary panel in Dublin found the offence "was at the low-end of the level of seriousness for a strike with the head".

James' suspension will run until Sunday, 1 February.

His premature exit left his team with a mountain to climb and potentially dashed hopes of him challenging for a place in Wales' RBS Six Nations squad, which was announced on Monday.

But the 14-man Blues went on to claim a memorable 16-12 Heineken Cup victory to guarantee a quarter-final spot and a probable home draw, with a home game against Italian minnows Calvisano to come.

Young, whose team are the only unbeaten side in the competition, accepted that James' dismissal was technically correct, but said he had sympathy for the youngster.

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