Don’t get too tough on Hartley
DYLAN HARTLEY’S opposite number jumped to his defence with the England skipper facing an autumn ban.
Hartley was binned in the 30th minute of Saints’ 24-7 Champions Cup defeat by Clermont and will find out today if he must go before the beak.
The hooker took out Clermont prop Rabah Slimani with a swinging arm which left the Frenchman with blood pouring from his nose.
The home crowd were baying for Hartley to get a red but a yellow was enough for ref Ben Whitehouse, although that might not satisfy the disciplinary board.
But Benjamin Kayser, the Clermont hooker and French international, said: “If you give a red card to any hit on the head then there will be 25 a game.”
If Northampton star Hartley is hauled over the coals and found guilty he can expect a minimum ban of two weeks. England’s autumn campaign starts on November 11.