Leicester scrum-half Ben Youngs will appear before an RFU disciplinary panel for allegedly striking London Irish's Jamie Gibson.
Tigers suspend scrum-half after internal discplinary hearing
Leicester scrum-half Ben Youngs has been cited for allegedly striking an opponent during Sunday's Aviva Premiership clash with London Irish.
The England international is accused of striking Exiles number eight Jamie Gibson after he appeared to drop his knee onto the forward before punching him.
The minimum suspension Youngs could receive if found guilty would be the low-end entry point of two weeks, while the high-end entry point is 12 weeks or more.
"Ben Youngs of Leicester Tigers will appear before an RFU Disciplinary Panel after being cited for striking London Irish's Jamie Gibson contrary to Law 10(4)(a) during the Aviva Premiership match at the Madejski Stadium on March 25 following a report by the match citing officer Wade Dooley," a statement from the Rugby Football Union said.
A lengthy ban would put Youngs' availability for England's summer tour to South Africa in doubt. His hearing will take place at some point next week.
Club suspension
The Tigers released a statement shortly after the citing was confirmed, announcing that the player had been suspended for a week after an internal disciplinary hearing had found him guilty of striking Gibson.
"Ben has been banned for one week and will not be available for selection for Friday's home game against Worcester Warriors. This is obviously a disappointment to Ben after just returning to the club from international duty," the statement read.
Harlequins back-rower Maurie Fa'asavalu is also in hot water after being cited for an alleged dangerous tackle on Bath fly-half Tom Heathcote.
The low-end entry point for a dangerous tackle is a two-week suspension, with a suspension of 10 weeks or more for offences deemed to be at the high-end of the scale.
