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No end yet to Northampton's Dublin nightmare as three players cited
By Online Editors
Northampton’s Leinster nightmare isn’t yet over as three of their players have been cited and face suspensions following last Saturday’s humiliation in Dublin.
The Gallagher Premiership leaders had no answers to the Irish side’s Heineken Champions Cup onslaught, losing 21-50 seven days after they had been taken to the cleaners 16-43 by the same opposition at Franklin’s Gardens.
Cumulative totals further put the lopsided head-to-head into stark contrast - Match points: Leinster 10 Northampton 0, Points scored: Leinster 93 Northampton 37, Tries scored: Leinster 14 Northampton 4.
The only count where the Saints emerged on top was on the citing list stemming from the round four meeting at Aviva Stadium.
EPCR have summoned Lewis Bean, Andy Symons and Matt Procter to independent disciplinary hearings in London on Wednesday to answer cases surrounding alleged foul tackles in contravention of Law 9.13.
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Bean is alleged to have committed an act of foul play when tackling Leinster prop Cian Healy in a dangerous manner in the 13th minute, Symons is cited for dangerously tackling hooker James Tracy in the 15th minute, and Proctor's foul play came when tackling replacement fly-half Ciaran Frawley in the 72nd minute.
If the citings are upheld, Saints would likely lose each player for a minumum three weeks given the current trend in the level of suspensions being handed out.
Chair Roger Morris (Wales), Jamie Corsi (Wales) and John Doubleday (England) will preside over the Bean and Symons hearings, with chair Kathrine Mackie (Scotland), Andrea Caranci (Italy) and Morris (Wales) pencilled in for the Procter case.
It is a busy week for EPCR’s disciplinary panels as they are also holding hearings for the red-carded Matt Fagerson (Glasgow Warriors), Ethan Waller (Worcester Warriors) and Davide Zanetti (Rugby Calvisano), as well as citing complaints against Mitch Lees (Brive) and Geoffrey Moise (Pau).
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Latest Comments
Well lets hope so. England have developed a very strong kicking game and I'm all for them going to it on a regular basis to get into the right areas of the field but they need to find the right balance. They've been far too predictable and far too low risk. Tindall recently summed up my thoughts on this... “rugby is a pressure game, it's about building phases”. Against Scotland they almost never went over 2 phases, it was super weird. None of the top 4 sides are playing in this manner, I don't see where the precedent is for this staccato style of play. We've got an exceptional group of loose forwards developing, let's make use of that quick ball! Hopefully the Welsh game is a turning point and the coaches will trust the players to take a few more risks. It's not that I have anything against kicking in test matches, it's absolutely essential that we kick well but we do that already, it's the rest of the attack which has been missing. This relentless kicking isn't the way the best sides win test matches these days. Kick well, kick lots but we need to be setup to take advantage of quick ball and defensive misalignments around the halfway line and we need to build pressure by going multiphase in the 22 instead of grubber kicking it or crossfielding with such high regularity.
Go to commentsAgreed, seen far too many false dawns as an England fan and here are still far too many question marks over Borthwick and his coaching team. The Scotland and Ireland performances were still poor, even if we managed to stay on the right side of the scoreboard on one of them. France game we were fortunate but we at least played well
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