Tigers contest Ashton’s red card to delay end of career
CHAMPIONS HOPE RECORD TRY-SCORER WILL BE AVAILABLE FOR PREMIERSHIP SEMI-FINAL
LEICESTER Tigers have made a last-ditch attempt to prevent Chris Ashton’s career from ending in red card ignominy.
Interim boss Richard Wigglesworth confirmed that the club will appeal against the decision to send the former England wing off for a dangerous tackle in Saturday’s home loss to Harlequins.
Ashton, who retires at the end of the season, will not play again if disciplinary chiefs uphold referee Ian Tempest’s ruling over his shoulder-to-head contact on Harlequins wing Cadan Murley.
A ban would rule the Premiership’s all-time record try-scorer out of the post-season play-offs which take Leicester to Sale on Sunday – and a possible Twickenham showdown against another of his former clubs with Saracens and Northampton Saints in the other last-four clash.
Wigglesworth said: “We will contest it and if it gets turned around he will be available [to
play]. There were mitigating factors in the tackle with the slipping and the dipping and the mitigating factors are why we think it is a yellow and not a red.
“I am not calling anything dodgy, I know referees have a difficult job,” added Wigglesworth, who will leave the club upon the conclusion of this season to become England attack coach.
“If it is a high level of force and danger then the red card is there to protect players.
“We just want everything to be
clear and obvious.
“They have got to get it right. That is their job.
“We have got to get our tactics right, the players have got to get themselves right and they have got to get those decisions right.”
Leicester have yet to be informed when the hearing will be held but insist that Ashton will be ready to play if available.
“Chris will know his stuff and
be good to go,” Wigglesworth said.
“He is experienced and he will still have a training day knowing he is in the starting team if that happens. That wouldn’t be a problem for us.”
Anthony Watson, Leicester’s other England wing, also faces an uncertain future and it is widely believed he will move to France next season.
The Lions star was given a tour of Castres last month – but Leicester say they have not given up hope of keeping him at Mattioli Woods Welford Road.
“We all know he is a top player,” said Wigglesworth. “The club and Anthony are in conversations to try and make something happen. Nothing [is] sorted.”