International Rugby Players
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Tuilagi cited for Ashton punch
The Rugby Football Union has announced that Leicester centre Manu Tuilagi has been cited for punching Chris Ashton during the Aviva Premiership semi-final against Northampton.
The RFU confirmed that the 19-year-old will appear before a disciplinary committee in London on Wednesday at 17h00 BST. The panel will comprise of Jeff Blackett, Philip Evans and Jeremy Summers. The Tigers centre received just a yellow card after punching England wing Ashton eight minutes before half-time in the 11-3 victory. Both players were sin-binned by referee Wayne Barnes following incident.
Television replays, though, showed that Ashton pushed Tuilagi after he had been taken out off the ball. The Leicester man responded by throwing three punches at Ashton, the last a crunching right hook that left the Saints wing requiring stitches to a cut near his left eye. Tuilagi, though, has now been reported by independent citing officer Alan Mansell and he could be banned for anything from between three weeks to 11 or more.
If he is slapped with a ban, then he will miss the Aviva Premiership final against Saracens at Twickenham on May 28 and possibly England Saxons' Churchill Cup campaign next month. Leicester Director of Rugby Richard Cockerill has already said he expects Tuilagi will get a sanction. "He reacted poorly, he threw a punch and you can't do that. The rules say if you strike or punch a player you get a red card. I expect he will get a sanction," Cockerill said.
Northampton boss Jim Mallinder had no doubts that Tuilagi should've been given his marching orders. "First of all, you can't have players taking players out, and you can't be hitting players directly to the head, punching," he said. "Chris Ashton did go over and give him a push, but you cannot react with three punches to the head without a red card."
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...DISGRACEFUL 
and the Referees were no better
RWC preparations begin for France
Seven members of France's 2011 Rugby World Cup squad reported for national duty at their headquarters in Marcoussis outside Paris on Monday. Representatives of the clubs that have not qualified for the Top 14 semi-finals will undergo a series of physical tests this week at the camp. They include Biarritz prop Fabien Barcella, USAP trio Nicolas Mas, Maxime Mermoz and David Marty and Brive's Fabrice Estebanez and Alexis Palisson.
Following the Top 14 semi-finals next weekend, the eliminated players involved will enjoy a week's holiday before joining Marc Lievremont's squad.
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Training @ Marcoussis
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Italian Rugby Federation Gala Dinner
Tuilagi gets five weeks
Leicester centre Manu Tuilagi has been handed a five-week ban for punching Northampton winger Chris Ashton at Welford Road last Saturday.
The suspension means the England World Cup candidate will miss the Aviva Premiership Final against Saracens on May 28. And he will also have to sit out the whole of England Saxons' Churchill Cup campaign next month, at which he could have boosted his chances of being called into the senior squad. The ban starts on Thursday and runs until June 23.
Tuilagi aimed three punches at Ashton in the Aviva Premiership play-off clash at Welford Road, one a crunching right hook which left the England man needing stitches to a cut near his left eye. Although Tuilagi was only sin-binned, as was Ashton, he was subsequently reported by independent citing officer Alan Mansell and appeared before a three-man Rugby Football Union disciplinary panel in central London on Wednesday.
Tuilagi admitted the charge and the RFU have revealed that the ban would have been 10 weeks, but they reduced it by 50 per cent due to a number of mitigating factors, including the fact Ashton was deemed to have provoked Tuilagi with a push. "This was a top-end entry offence but we also determined that there was some provocation from Chris Ashton, who pushed and struck Manu Tuilagi in the back with his knee," said the RFU's disciplinary officer Judge Jeff Blackett. "We determined that the appropriate entry point within the range was 10 weeks and this was reduced by 50 per cent to reflect Manu's youth and inexperience, his admission of guilt and his genuine remorse."
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