ENGLAND LOCK COURTNEY Lawes will learn on Tuesday whether or not his World Cup campaign is over before it really even had a chance to get started.
The Northampton Saints forward has been cited by match commissioner Murray Whyte following a collision with Argentina hooker Mario Ledesma towards the end of the first half of both nations’ Pool B fixture on Saturday – an incident that appeared to leave Lawes’ opponent unconscious at the side of the pitch for a few brief moments.
The clash will now be examined at a disciplinary hearing – led by Independent Judicial Officer Terry Willis (Australia) – in Auckland on Tuesday afternoon (3am BST)
“We have received notification of Courtney’s citing,” England coach Martin Johnson confirmed in a statement.
“We will of course provide Rugby World Cup with any information required and attend the hearing as requested.”
The statement concluded that there would be “no further comment” on the matter until after the hearing.
If found guilty of “punching or striking with the knee”, the 22-year-old could be banned for a period of between two weeks and 12 weeks – depending how on serious the breach is deemed. England won the game 13-9 following a late try from Ben Youngs.