Marler facing groin-grab ban
PROP’S SEASON COULD BE OVER
JOE MARLER has been ordered to attend a disciplinary hearing in Dublin on Thursday and faces a substantial ban for grabbing Wales captain Alun Wyn Jones’ groin.
The 29-year-old england prop was duly cited yesterday for the incident in the early stages of the Six Nations encounter with the Welsh at Twickenham last Saturday, which the home side won 33-30.
Footage clearly showed Marler placing his hand on Jones’ crotch for several seconds, prompting an outcry over what was considered by many as merely an ill-considered prank.
evidently, match commissioner Peter Ferguson was among those who did not see the funny side and Marler is now in danger of incurring a heavy sanction.
he has been charged with contravening law 9.27, relating to the ‘spirit of good sportsmanship’ and specifically ‘grabbing, twisting or squeezing the genitals’. This offence carries a minimum suspension of 12 weeks and if Marler were to incur that level of punishment it would effectively end his season.
The disciplinary panel have the option to reduce the tariff by up to 50 per cent as it is obvious that he did not cause harm or intend to do so. But they are unlikely to do so as Marler has a history of run-ins with the judiciary. There is still a chance of a reduction from what is sure to be a ‘low-end’ entry point.
his cryptic tweet yesterday of ‘B*******. Complete b*******’, while not directly attributed to anything, could also be viewed negatively by the authorities.
Wales captain Jones was frustrated that no action was taken against Marler at the time.
‘There’s a lot of footage that has been shown, it seems like a lot of supporters saw what happened,’ said Jones. ‘It’s very frustrating that we talk a lot about TMOs (television match officials) and footage reviews, yet there doesn’t seem to be a lot of it happening.’
Manu Tuilagi will also face a hearing in Dublin on Thursday after his red card for a dangerous tackle on George North. Courtney Lawes has also been cited for a dangerous tackle after making contact with Jones’ head in the 66th minute. Neither he nor Tuilagi are likely to receive bans on the scale of Marler’s, even though their actions did inadvertently cause harm. england coach eddie Jones was expected to face repercussions for post-match criticism of referee Ben O’Keeffe, but there are no indications that the matter will be pursued.