Sale Sharks' Chris Ashton is set to face an independent disciplinary panel this Thursday after the Englishman was sent off during a pre-season fixture against Castres Olympique last week.
While initial reports claimed referee Roman Poite sent Ashton off for a punch, an RFU statement has confirmed this is not the case and the red card was actually given for a tip tackle on Rory Kockott.
DISCIPLINE | Chris Ashton and Alexandru Tarus of @SaleSharksRugby to appear before an independent disciplinary panel after an incident during a pre-season fixture against @CastresRugby.
Full story: https://t.co/2Y1Ap5iyyC pic.twitter.com/AlFVSzTSip
— England Rugby (@EnglandRugby) August 21, 2018
Ashton was found to have broken law 9.18 (A player must not lift an opponent off the ground and drop or drive that player so that their head and/or upper body make contact with the ground).
If the full-back is found guilty, he faces a minimum ban of six weeks. Given his past record, a guilty verdict is likely to carry a longer ban than and thus he is at risk of missing the opening games of the Aviva Premiership as well as England's first training camp.
