Tuilagi to learn fate after Wales dismissal
ENGLAND are set to discover the extent of
Manu Tuilagi’s disciplinary fallout after his red card in Saturday’s 33-30 win over Wales. Tuilagi must appear before a hearing to answer for his dangerous tackle on George North.
There could also be repercussions for Eddie Jones and Joe Marler, with the latter having grabbed Wales captain Alun Wyn Jones by the testicles in an incident shown on replays.
Jones, England’s head coach, turned on referee Ben O’Keeffe shortly after watching his team throw away a commanding 33-16 lead by conceding late tries to Dan Biggar and Justin Tipuric in an anxious finish at Twickenham.
“At the end, we were 13 against 16 and that’s hard,” Jone said. “When you have got a three-man advantage, you are going to do some damage. We had a numerical disadvantage, so it was tough.”
Under current guidelines, O’Keeffe was right to dismiss Tuilagi but Jones described the decision as “absolute rubbish”.
If Six Nations disciplinary chiefs decide action is needed, Jones could be hit with a fine or stadium ban.
Wales captain Alun Wyn Jones, meanwhile, wants Marler’s groping reviewed.
World Rugby’s punishment for an offence it describes as “testicle grabbing or twisting or squeezing” ranges from a suspension of 12 to 24 weeks or more, and given Marler’s chequered history he could be facing a lengthy ban.
“There’s a lot of footage that has been shown. It seems like a lot of supporters saw what happened,” the Wales skipper said.
“It’s very frustrating that we talk a lot about TMOs and footage reviews, yet there doesn’t seem to be much happening.”