Joe Marler and Owen Farrell fear missing England’s tour of Australia tour as they sweat on bans
Red Rose pair cited after a weekend of brutal European games, as Harlequins prop is up for kicking Grenoble man in the head
ENGLAND are sweating on possible bans for Joe Marler AND Owen Farrell ahead of the tour to Australia.
The Red Rose pair have both been cited after a weekend of brutal European games.
Marler, playing for the first time after a two-match ban for calling Samson Lee a “Gypsy boy”, is up for kicking a Grenoble player in the HEAD.
And Saracens fly-half Farrell is in equally hot water after being sin-binned for knocking-out Wasps scrum-half Dan Robson after a clash of heads and using a high arm around his neck.
Quins prop Marler will miss their European Challenge Cup final against Montpelier AND England’s first game Down Under if found guilty and given the lowest punishment of four weeks.
The mid range is six weeks and the top end between ten weeks to a year.
Lions and Ireland legend Brian O’Driscoll said: “Irrespective of what level of contact it is, that’s not what it’s about. It’s stupid and having just come back from serving a ban, it’s not the smartest of play.”
Farrell faces a minimum two weeks out if guilty - but the mid-range sanction goes up to six with the top end 10 weeks to a year.
If he manages to escape with a two-week ban then that will mean he only misses Saracens’ last two regular games of the Premiership season.
The mid range of six weeks will wipe him out for the Premiership champions’ defence of their title, their
Euro trophy hunt against Dan Carter’s Racing 92 AND the first Red Rose Test in Brisbane in June.
Wasps’ sub prop Simon McIntyre will also be hauled in front of the suits this week for smashing Maro
Itoje in the head with his boot.
England star Itoje was also slapped with a warning for grabbing the prop - equal to a yellow card if spotted in the game.