Marler gets ten-week ban for his groin grab

JOE MARLER’S season appeared to be over last night as he was punished for grabbing Wales skipper Alun Wyn Jones’ groin at Twickenham.

The 29-year-old prop appeared at a hearing in Dublin yesterday afternoon and admitted committing an act of foul play, although he disputed the assertion that he had ‘grabbed, twisted or squeezed the genitals’ of Jones. The disciplinary panel concluded that his actions had been worthy of a red card.

His offence was deemed to be at the low end of the scale, triggering a 12-week ban, but the recommended sanction was reduced by three weeks to reflect his remorse and good character at the hearing. Unfortunately for Marler, previous disciplinary issues counted against him and meant a week was added to reach a ten-week verdict.

As only active weeks are counted, the Lions loosehead is unable to play until June 8, which is the Monday after the last round of the regular league season.

His club, Harlequins, are unlikely to reach the Premiership playoffs, which means his domestic campaign is over and he may be unable to earn selection for England’s tour of Japan if that two-Test trip in July goes ahead. The incident occurred in the eighth minute of the Six Nations encounter last Saturday — which England went on to win 33-30 — when a mass scuffle broke out between opposing players on the hosts’ line.

Replays showed Marler standing with his hand on the crotch of Jones, who could be seen looking towards the touch judge in astonishment.

After naming his team yesterday to face Scotland, Wales coach Wayne Pivac explained his captain’s view of the incident, saying: ‘His frustration was that the matter wasn’t dealt with on the field at the time. That’s what he was trying to express.

‘What would have happened if the TMO had spoken to the referee?

‘What’s the sanction during the game for that? Would it have been a red card? It could have been a different Test match. ‘His frustration is around the fact that thousands of people saw the event at the time, barring the people looking at the video (officials).’ Pivac offered his own damning verdict on Marler’s actions, adding:

‘There’s no place for that in the game, whether it’s banter or more serious. ‘We’re all role models for the young players and the next generation of the game.

‘There are rules. You can’t go outside those rules. If you do, then you face punishment.’ With the Scotland match set to be played tomorrow – despite the postponements of a large number of sporting events in the wake of the coronavirus — Pivac is keen to play to right the wrongs of a poor campaign. ‘From within our group, it’s a massive game,’ said the Wales boss.

‘We haven’t been entirely happy with the results and no doubt the public won’t be happy either. ‘In terms of pressure, we want to win every game and we’re as disappointed as every person watching the game. Given the amount of time and effort we invest, we’re arguably more disappointed.

‘We know what we’re trying to achieve and, if we get a result at the weekend, we’ll be able to look back and say if we’d tidied up a few areas, we would have had a decent championship. We firmly believe that.’

Prior to Marler’s hearing, Courtney Lawes escaped a ban after being cited for a dangerous tackle on Jones but Manu Tuilagi was suspended for four weeks after being sent off when his shoulder made contact with George North’s head in the closing minutes of England’s win. The Leicester centre is free to play again from April 14.