The Northampton hooker Dylan Hartley, widely regarded as the long-term successor to Steve Thompson in the England front row, was last night banned for six months after being found guilty on two counts of eye-gouging during the Premiership match at Wasps earlier this month.
The 21-year old Hartley, who has until this evening to appeal against the punishment, will not be able to play again until October 17, ruling him out of England's tour to South Africa next month as well as the World Cup. He will also miss Northampton's final league match of the season on Saturday against London Irish, an encounter the Saints will probably need to win to avoid relegation.
Hartley, who earlier this week was voted Northampton's young player of the year, has had an extended run in the side this season because of the neck injury that forced Thompson to end his playing career. The Rotorua-born forward was warned about his future conduct by the Rugby Football Union's disciplinary officer, Jeff Blackett, after a three-man panel upheld the view of an independent citing officer that the hooker had illegally made contact with the eyes of the Wasps' back-rowers James Haskell and Johnny O'Connor. A third count of gouging the flanker Joe Worsley was dismissed.
"Contact with an opponent's eyes is a serious offence because of the vulnerability of the area and the risk of permanent injury," said Blackett. "It is often the result of an insidious act, one which is abhorred by players. Such offences carry a substantial punishment to protect players, deter others and remove culprits from the game to ensure that they learn the appropriate lesson."
Hartley's ban was set at 30 weeks but was reduced by four because of his previous good character and youth. He was the first Premiership player to be charged with gouging for six seasons and his prolonged absence increases the prospect of Bristol's veteran hooker Mark Regan coming out of international retirement to go on the tour to South Africa, and challenge for a place in the World Cup squad, with George Chuter and Lee Mears involved in European finals on the weekend of England's departure.
Harlequins yesterday announced they would not renew the contract of their outside-half Andrew Mehrtens. The former All Black is considering an offer to join Bath, whose fly-half, Chris Malone, is moving to Quins. Quins have recruited three young English forwards. The front-rower Chris Brooker, a member of England's under-21 Grand Slam team last year, has joined from Bath, and they have snapped up the Northampton lock James Percival and former Quins academy player Phil Davies.
