Bath have received an apology after a Harlequins player was allowed to return to the field three minutes early from his sin-bin, to help them to a 40-36 win in rugby union’s Premiership.

Bath fought back from 40-points-to-3 down and were given hope of securing an unlikely victory when Quins lock Irne Herbst was yellow carded.

The RFU’s refereeing body “acknowledges and apologises” for an error which saw Herbst return to action after only seven minutes.