Six-week ban for Diamond

Premiership club Sale’s director of rugby Steve Diamond has been given a sixweek touchline ban after verbally abusing match officials. Diamond appeared before a RFU disciplinary panel and pleaded guilty following the Sharks’ Anglo-Welsh Cup win against Harlequins on February 3. Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers wants protection for his players.

Hoops defender Kieran Tierney escaped serious injury in his side’s 2-0 win against Motherwell at Parkhead last week following a challenge from the Steelmen’s Ryan Bowman.

The challenge follows an equally poor tackle from Caley Thistle midfielder Iain Vigurs on Scott Sinclair in his side’s 6-0 rout of the Highlanders in the Scottish Cup. Both players were booked.

The Celtic manager said: “We respect referees but I would like them to have a bit of protection for players. I’ve seen the tackle on Kieran, which I didn’t see right after the game, and it was a horrendous challenge.

“This is a kid who is 19, one of the great prospects of Scottish football.

“I have seen two tackles in the last two games that weren’t good at all. We need to ensure the players are protected.

“I understand there is a thought defenders have to get tight to Scott, have to put in a challenge to Kieran or James Forrest or whoever.

“But it is the responsibility of the referee to protect the game and the players because the week before against Inverness, Scott had an awful challenge on him.

“If we are trying to get the best players playing here in Scotland they need a little bit of protection.”

Rodgers fears another player could suffer a careerending injury similar to the one suffered by first-team coach John Kennedy.

Former central defender Kennedy suffered a serious knee injury while playing for Scotland following a challenge from Romanian forward Ionel Ganea in an international friendly at Hampden on March 31, 2004.

The injury kept him out of the game for three years and following a return to first-team duty with the Hoops and a brief spell on loan at Norwich, Kennedy retired in 2009 after further damaging his knee.

Rodgers said: “We are a team that can play any type of game. We have come through physical games and footballing games, tight games. My players never complain or moan, they get up and get on with the game.

“John who was also a brilliant prospect who, in one challenge, lost his career.

“I don’t really want that to happen to any of my players or any player for that matter, whether they are from Celtic, Rangers, Hearts, Hibs or wherever.”

Asked if opposition teams felt the physical approach was the only way to stop his side, the former Swansea and Liverpool manager said: “We are a team of men. We have young players in the team but we are playing a man’s game so we have no problem with the aggression.

“We have coped with it at places such as Aberdeen, in a really tough physical game of tough challenges, fair challenges.

“The concern for me is the challenges that are late, like last week’s which was a straight-leg challenge which could have really damaged him.

“If Kieran’s foot had been

“Coped with it at places such as Aberdeen, in a really tough physical game”

planted we could be talking a different story about one of the great talents in Scotland.

“Now that is the duty of the referee, to protect them and protect the game.”

Brendan Rodgers