England prop faces ban over ‘gouging’
Quins prop cited for incident with Paterson Kingston insists the forward is innocent
Kyle Sinckler, the Harlequins prop, could miss out on England’s autumn international series after being cited last night for gouging Michael Paterson, the Northampton lock, on Saturday.
Sinckler has been charged with making contact with the eye and/or eye area – two separate offences – by Chris Catling, the independent citing commissioner, and will appear before a Rugby Football Union disciplinary hearing in Bristol on Thursday night. Dan White will chair the three-person panel.
The low-entry suspension point of making contact with the eye area is four weeks while there is a 12week entry point for making contact with the eye, which would rule him out of England fixtures against Argentina, Australia and Samoa. Last year, Chris Ashton, the former England wing, received a 10-week suspension after being found guilty of a similar offence.
The latest incident occurred in the 49th minute of Northampton’s 30-22 victory at Franklin’s Gardens.
Paterson spoke to referee Luke Pearce after having his headguard removed at the bottom of a ruck by Sinckler. Asked by the official if there had been contact with the eye area, Paterson said: “100 per cent.”
Replays on the big screen proved inconclusive. The footage showed Sinckler removing Paterson’s headguard and then it appears his hand returns to Paterson’s face in a secondary movement. Pearce awarded a penalty for the first action, with Sinckler protesting his innocence. John Kingston, Harlequins’ director of rugby, also strongly defended his player. “Unequivocally, it was not a gouge,” Kingston said. “Absolutely not. Kyle said he made contact with his [head] gear.”
It may have been an accident, but unfortunately with Sinckler it was waiting to happen. He had already been admonished by Pearce for his language at a scrum and was one of the first to get involved in a firsthalf altercation between flankers Ben Glynn and James Gibson.
Before the Paterson incident, Sinckler had thrown a tantrum, claiming to have been pulled back off the ball. There was the sense then he would seek retribution.
Whether that manifested itself in an offence rated one of rugby’s cardinal sins remains to be seen. That Paterson was so adamant something untoward had occurred is most concerning. In the absence of any clear-cut footage, it may be that Paterson’s testimony – should he volunteer it – will become the most compelling evidence.
It has been a turbulent few months for Sinckler. The 24-yearold had a surprise Lions call-up and leapfrogged England team-mate Dan Cole to play in all three Tests. It was Sinckler who earned the penalty in the third Test that saw Owen Farrell level the series.
However, he has also gained a reputation for hot-headedness on the pitch and was arrested on a night out in Auckland following the end of the tour. At the start of this season, he was asked about harnessing his aggression. “It is a fine line,” Sinckler said. “It is knowing where to be on that side of the line.
“As I am getting older, I am learning every day. I have got to play my game but the one thing I am learning is that it can’t be to the detriment of the team. Me being too aggressive and giving away however many penalties, that is to the detriment of the team. Being aggressive in the right way, in my ruck clears and carries, that’s good for the team. I have made some strides in the last few years but I am human and I will make mistakes.”
However much his stock rose as a player on the Lions tour, England head coach Eddie Jones made clear it had little impact on his own planning. To emphasise the point, Jones left out four Lions, including Sinckler, from his latest training squad. As way of explanation, Jones said: “Some guys need to work on their games. We’ve had those discussions with them.”
Sinckler’s actions were in keeping with a bad-tempered game in which Northampton earned a bonus point through tries from George North, Tom Collins, Mikey Haywood and Ashee Tuala. Harle-
quins would have had a bonus point but for Pearce reversing the award of a penalty for a shoulder charge by George Merrick, for which the second row has also receiving a warning from the citing commissioner. Dave Ward, the Harlequins captain, was also left with a gruesome black eye that Kingston suggested was the result of foul play. “I’m not here to cast aspersions, but my hooker has got a rather nasty eye and I know how it happened because he’s told me and I believe him,” Kingston said. “I’m pretty disappointed about that.”