Wasps back-row star James Haskell will miss the Guinness Premiership clash with Leicester after being banned for one week.
Wasps ace to miss trip to Leicester
Wasps back-row star James Haskell will miss the Guinness Premiership clash with Leicester after being banned for one week.
Haskell was found guilty of striking an opponent with his head after being cited following an incident during the 11-10 loss to Worcester on September 14.
And the one-week ban means that the England forward will sit out of the trip to Welford Road on Friday.
However, Haskell's team-mate Richard Birkett will be able to play against the table-toppers after he avoided a suspension for stamping in the same game.
The lock was cited for an incident and received a reprimand and a warning about his future behaviour.
The referee and the citing officer from the game have also been criticised for their handling of the match by the RFU's disciplinary chief Jeff Blackett.
Blackett, who chaired the hearing, has been left less than impressed with Leicestershire official Martin Fox and citing officer Matt Bayliss - believing Worcester's Greg Rawlinson and Tom Wood should also have faced action.
In his report from the hearing, Blackett said: "This case has not been handled well by match officials or the citing officer.
"The referee was very close to the incident and must have had a clear view of what occurred, yet he took no or insufficient disciplinary action.
Disappointing
"This is very disappointing, given the recent IRB (International Rugby Board) directive on 'clearing out'.
"The first act by Wood, in which he jumped into (Phil) Vickery with a swinging arm is exactly the sort of action envisaged in and prohibited by the directive.
"The IRB have asked for referees to apply zero tolerance to this sort of dangerous play, and that means taking early and decisive action.
"Having not penalised Wood, the referee then observed Vickery grabbing Rawlinson by the scrum cap and dragging him into the ruck (the action which was subsequently penalised).
"He then stood by as Rawlinson punched Vickery five times in and around the head, despite Haskell's request for intervention, and then he observed Haskell clearing out Rawlinson by lunging towards him head-first - another example of the behaviour envisaged in the IRB directive.
"Had the referee taken action against Wood initially, then none of the rest of the foul play would have followed.
"It is almost beyond comprehension that he then decided to penalise Vickery for the least of all of the acts of foul play.
"Unfortunately, the citing officer also took insufficient action.
"His written observation of what occurred failed to describe adequately or properly the full extent of the various offences committed.
"Although Haskell's citing was correct, the citing officer should also have cited Rawlinson for the punching and Wood for illegal clearing out.
"By failing to do so, the panel were placed in the invidious position of taking disciplinary action against one person, when other similar acts of foul play in the same incident will remain unpunished because the time limit for citing has passed and there are no exceptional circumstances which would allow those limits to be waived or extended."
