Healy cited for alleged stamp on Cole
Ireland prop Cian Healy has been cited for an apparent stamp on Dan Cole during yesterday’s 12-6 RBS 6 Nations defeat by England at the Aviva Stadium.
Healy struck Cole’s ankle while the Leicester tighthead lay prone once an Ireland maul had collapsed in an incident that received widespread condemnation.
The 25-year-old will appear before an independent Six Nations disciplinary committee in London on Wednesday.
The recommended suspension for a low end stamping offence is two weeks, the mid range five weeks and top end nine weeks, up to a maximum of one year.
England took exception to the incident and a large brawl erupted, although referee Jerome Garces failed to spot what ignited the flare-up and Healy evaded punishment on the pitch.
It is hard to envisage Healy, a leading contender for selection by the Lions in Australia this summer, escaping censure on Wednesday given that television replays clearly show the stamp.
A two-week ban would ruled him out of Ireland’s next Six Nations assignment against Scotland on February 24, while a more extensive suspension would also threaten his involvement against France and Italy.
