ENGLAND PROP JOE Marler has been cited for grabbing Wales captain Alun Wyn Jones’ genitals during their Six Nations clash in Twickenham on Saturday.
Marler’s actions were caught on camera early in England’s win but there was no action taken during the game.
However, 29-year-old Marler has now been cited under Law 9.27 and will face a disciplinary hearing in Dublin on Thursday.
“A Player must not do anything that is against the spirit of good sportsmanship – Hair pulling or grabbing; Spitting at anyone; Grabbing, twisting or squeezing the genitals (and/or breasts in the case of female players)” reads Law 9.27.
Wales skipper Jones had voiced his frustration over the incident post-match.
“I’ve got 138 Tests for my country,” said Jones. “If I react, I get a red card. It’s tough, isn’t it? Hopefully World Rugby have a look at it. Joe’s a good bloke, lots of things happen on a rugby field. It’s difficult as a captain these days because you can’t speak to a ref about anything, it feels.
“There’s a lot of footage that has been shown, it seems like a lot of supporters saw what happened. It’s very frustrating that we talk a lot about TMOs and footage reviews, yet there doesn’t seem to be a lot of it happening.”
Marler took to Twitter in the wake of the game to tweet, “Bollocks. Complete bollocks.”
Given that his disciplinary record is not a clean one, Marler could be facing a ban of 12 weeks or more.
Meanwhile, Marler’s England team-mate Courtney Lawes has also been cited for an alleged infringement of Law 9.13 during the game against Wales.
Similarly, Lawes will face a disciplinary hearing in Dublin on Thursday.
“A player must not tackle an opponent early, late or dangerously,” reads Law 9.13. “Dangerous tackling includes but is not limited to tackling or attempting to tackle an opponent above the line of the shoulders even if the tackle starts below the line of the shoulders.”
Centre Manu Tuilagi is the third England player facing a disciplinary hearing in Dublin later this week, after he was red-carded for a dangerous hit on George North late in the game.
Tuilagi was deemed to have committed an infringement of Law 9.16: “A player must not charge or knock down an opponent carrying the ball without attempting to grasp that player.”
With England’s Six Nations campaign over for now due to next weekend’s planned visit to Rome being postponed, any bans for Marler, Lawes, and Tuilagi will immediately affect their club commitments.
England U20 fullback Freddie Steward has also been cited following their Six Nations clash with Wales over the weekend.
Steward committed an alleged infringement of Law 9.11, “Players must not do anything that is reckless or dangerous to others” and/or Law 9.17, which reads, “A player must not tackle, charge, pull, push or grasp an opponent whose feet are off the ground.”
Steward’s disciplinary hearing will take place in London tomorrow.
The Six Nations confirmed that the citing window for yesterday’s Six Nations clash between Scotland and France is still open.
