RFU statement: Michael Cheika charged with prejudicial conduct

New Leicester head coach Michael Cheika will attend a disciplinary hearing on Tuesday night after he was charged with prejudicial conduct following Tigers’ Gallagher Premiership win at Exeter on September 21. The Sandy Park fixture was the Australian’s first competitive game in charge of Leicester, a match they won 17-14 with a last-gasp converted try from Tommy Reffell.

An RFU statement read: “Leicester Tigers head coach Michael Cheika is due to appear before an independent disciplinary panel for an alleged breach of RFU rule 5.12 – conduct prejudicial to the interests of the game and/or union – in circumstances where he is alleged to have disrespected the independent match day doctor following the Exeter Chiefs vs Leicester Tigers match on Saturday, September 21. The hearing will take place on Tuesday, October 1.”

Leicester defeated the Chiefs despite suffering the 72nd-minute red card that resulted in Tonga international Solomone Kata getting banned for four matches. The midfielder went to tackle Chiefs replacement Jack Yeandle and wound up getting sent off by referee Tom Foley following his review with TMO David Rose.

It was Kata’s second red card for a dangerous tackle in five months as he was sent off last April following an April 20 collision with Northampton’s Fraser Dingwall. Kata was banned for three matches for that particular tackle, a sanction reduced to two following his successful completion of the World Rugby coaching intervention.

Tackle school was unavailable to him on this occasion, though, and the four-match ban handed down will start with Tigers’ October 6 game versus Newcastle as the centre was injured and unavailable for selection to take on Bath in last Sunday’s home defeat.