Uncapped Ospreys second-row James Fender has escaped a lengthy ban after being sent off on New Year's Day.

The lock was dismissed after 39 minutes of the Ospreys' 13-13 draw with Cardiff at the Arms Park last week, following a dangerous croc roll on Dan Thomas.

The first-half sending-off came after Fender attempted to clear out Cardiff openside Thomas at a ruck but brought all his weight down on Thomas' leg.

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Referee Ben Breakspear deemed the act as highly dangerous, dismissing Fender. After the match, Ospreys head coach Mark Jones admitted he had no qualms with the red card, saying: "I haven't actually seen it back.

"I've only seen the stadium screen and we were quite a way from it.

"But I know if you land on people's limbs recklessly, whether it's an accident or on purpose, you're going to get a red card. There's no malice in it, I know that much.

"From what I've seen, it's poor technique which has ended up with him landing on the lower limb. We're trying to clean up the game and I get it.

"It can end people's careers and keep them out of the game for a long time. I'll have to look at it back, but there's certainly no malice from James. It's just clumsy."

However, the 23-year-old is available for selection this weekend as the Ospreys take on Newcastle.

A disciplinary hearing saw Fender slapped with a two-week ban after he accepted he had committed an act of foul play.

As is the case with most bans, that initial entry point of a low-range threshold was halved due to his apology, good record and participation in the disciplinary process, with the remaining week then being served with Swansea RFC's Super Rygbi Cymru clash with Cardiff - also at the Arms Park - last Saturday.

It's unclear yet whether Fender will actually feature in the Challenge Cup clash on Saturday, which could have acted as a final Wales audition for him ahead of the announcement of Warren Gatland's Six Nations squad next week.

With Adam Beard and Ben Carter out, Fender - who was on the radar of the Wales coaches prior to his injury last year - could force his way into Gatland's thinking.