Parisse banned for swearing

Paris - Italy captain Sergio Parisse will miss the rest of the Six Nations Championship after picking up a 30-day ban on Wednesday for swearing at a referee.

The Stade Francais No 8 saw red in his club's French Top 14 game against Bordeaux last Saturday, and has been suspended until March 18 by the French rugby national league's disciplinary commission.

Parisse will miss Italy's Six Nations games against Wales on Saturday, England on March 10 and the concluding fixture against Ireland on March 16.

He was sent off in the 36th minute of Saturday's game for verbally abusing the referee, a charge he denies.

Italy caused the shock of the Championship so far when they beat pre-tournament favourites France 23-18 on the opening weekend in Rome, following that with a 34-10 defeat against Scotland to leave them second from bottom.