Toulon captain Mathieu Bastareaud has received a five-week ban for his brutal hit on Castres lock Christophe Samson.

Bastareaud dived into a ruck late in the Top 14 game, as Castres turned over the ball, and smashed an arm into Samson, who was on the ground.

The ban means the 29-year-old will miss Toulon’s next five fixtures but will be available for France’s November Tests against South Africa, Argentina and Fiji.