Northampton hooker Dylan Hartley will miss England's opening game of the World Cup against Fiji after facing a disciplinary committee on Wednesday evening.
Hartley was cited for headbutting Sacarens hooker Jamie George during Saturday's Aviva Premiership semi-final. It is a four-week suspension which commences on August 15th and allows him to play again on September 21st.
He will also be unavailable for England's World Cup warm-up games, two against France and one versus Ireland.
Though there wasn't much in the incident in terms of force, it could be viewed that the punishment is lenient due to the player's history of indiscipline on the pitch. These four weeks will take Hartley's cumulative time suspended to 54 weeks.
The question now, is Stuart Lancaster willing to trust a repeat offender like Hartley?
Video: The Typical Dylan Hartley Incident Which Could Put Him Out Of The World Cup
See also: 28 Strange And Wonderful Facts You Might Not Have Known About Irish Sport
Picture credit: Stephen McCarthy / SPORTSFILE
