Delon Armitage will learn on Friday whether he has been successful in his appeal against a 12-week suspension for misconduct after he swore at Leicester supporters following Toulon’s Champions Cup defeat at Welford Road last month.
Armitage admitted swearing at a fan as he tried to find the lounge at the ground where the after-match function was taking place but said the words had not been conveyed in a threatening manner. The three-man disciplinary panel favoured the evidence of two Leicester supporters with the player heavily criticised in its judgment. He appealed against the severity of the ban. He was given eight weeks for the offence and, as he pleaded not guilty and so showed no contrition, there were no mitigating factors to reduce the amount. His previous poor disciplinary record was then taken into account and he was hit with an extra four weeks.
The appeal hearing in London on Thursday was chaired by Scotland’s Lorne Crerar. It lasted more than five hours with submissions made by Toulon’s legal team as well as that of the tournament organisers, European Professional Club Rugby.
The panel decided to reserve its ruling until Friday, not least to consider whether the starting point of eight weeks for the charge of misconduct was correct under the regulations after it was challenged by Toulon. It has the power to increase as well as cut the 31-year old’s suspension.
He has already missed three weeks of action and he was told to change his ways by the original panel who said in its judgment: “We considered the player’s previous record and concluded that he is an habitual offender against the laws of the game, and one for whom there needs to be a deterrent to combat a clear pattern of offending, both on and off the field. The player is without doubt an exceptionally talented individual but he has an appalling disciplinary record.”
On the field, Saracens face Gloucester at Kingsholm on Friday night knowing that defeat could push them out of the top four if two of the three teams immediately below them in the Premiership take advantage over the weekend.
Gloucester have named the same side that started last Saturday’s victory at Exeter. The last time they fielded an unchanged lineup was in the middle of October following a big victory over Leicester: they went to Saracens and lost.
Gloucester have won only one of their past nine Premiership matches against Saracens, at Kingsholm in April 2013, and the last time they prevailed in front of their own fans in the league was against the Tigers at the beginning of October.
“There will be a few match-ups on the night and it should be a close contest,” said Chris Ashton, who has fallen out of favour with England and will be marking the left-wing incumbent Jonny May. “It should be an interesting contest with Jonny and I always like playing in front of the Shed, who are always on your back. We have had a good couple of weeks but we are still looking to improve things.”
Dai Young, the Wasps’ director of rugby, has signed a new contract that will keep him at the club until 2019 while Newcastle are in talks with their director of rugby, Dean Richards, whose contract runs out at the end of the season.
