London (AFP) - England full-back Freddie Steward has been cleared to play after his red card in Saturday's Six Nations defeat by Ireland was downgraded by a disciplinary committee.
Steward faced a hearing late on Tuesday after he was sent off by referee Jaco Peyper for a dangerous challenge to the head of Hugo Keenan that ended the Ireland full-back's match in Dublin.
The panel, which included former Scotland coach Frank Hadden, agreed an act of foul play had taken place.
But a statement released on Wednesday said there were sufficient mitigating factors "including the late change in the dynamics and positioning of the opposing player which should have resulted in the issue of a yellow card rather than a red card".
"On that basis, the committee did not uphold the red card and the player is free to play again immediately," the statement added.
Steward could be back in action this Saturday when English Premiership champions Leicester host Bristol.
Ireland led 10-6 when Steward was sent off shortly before half-time and went on to win 29-16 as they clinched a Grand Slam.
England did well to stay in the contest for as long as they did following the dismissal of the Leicester player, with captain Owen Farrell uttering an astonished "Red card?!" when Peyper sent the 22-year-old off.
But the committee's statement gave some support to the South African referee by noting "match officials are required to make decisions under pressure and in the heat of a live match environment".
Steward's dismissal provoked plenty of debate as rugby struggles to decide how best to minimise the impact of head injuries.
Former England coach Clive Woodward's said Steward had been involved in a "rugby incident" and should have been shown a "yellow card at best".
But Ireland great Brian O'Driscoll, a fellow pundit for UK broadcaster ITV, said there was a "duty of care" on the defender, with Steward, leading with the shoulder, having caught Keenan square in the head.
O'Driscoll added: "Jaco Peyper probably came to the right decision, albeit it's a really tough one to take."
England ended the Championship with two wins and three losses for the third straight season in their first Six Nations since Steve Borthwick replaced Eddie Jones as head coach.
