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Saracens and England wing Chris Ashton could miss the Six Nations after being cited
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The 28-year-old allegedly made contact with the eyes of Ulster’s Luke Marshall
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The incident happened in the first half of Saracens’ European Champions Cup victory at Allianz Park on Saturday
Chris Ashton’s England comeback is now in jeopardy after he was cited for allegedly making contact with the eye of an opponent during Saracens’ European Champions Cup victory over Ulster at Allianz Park on Saturday.
A disciplinary hearing will take place on Wednesday and the 28-year-old will now wait to see if his chances of playing for England for the first time since June 2014 have been dealt a blow.
Ashton, if found guilty of the offence, could face a ban of around 12 weeks or more, and if that happens, he would miss the entire Six Nations tournament, which begins for England against Scotland at Murrayfield on 6 February.March.
The match referee, Jérôme Garcès, penalised Ashton for a high challenge on Marshall. He referred the incident to the television match official after Marshall had indicated contact with his eyes but deemed the offence worth nothing more than a penalty to Ulster. “Nothing clear and dangerous for me about the finger in the eyes,” he said at the time. The French citing commissioner Yves Thieffine thinks differently.
Last week the Stade Français wing Josaia Raisuqe received a 15-week suspension for making contact with the eye area of the Munster flanker CJ Stander having been sent off for the offence by the referee, Nigel Owens.