Courtney Lawes could miss rest of Rugby World Cup if found guilty of misconduct
Courtney Lawes’ future regarding the rest of the Rugby World Cup matches is hanging in the balance after he was cited for kneeing Argentinean player, Mario Ledesma, in the head on September 10, in Dunedin. England opened its Rugby World Cup campaign in an
impressive way against Argentina clinching a hard fought victory of 13-9. The English manager, Martin Johnson, confirmed on September 12 that he has received a notification from Rugby World Cup Limited (RWCL) regarding the citing of Courtney Lawes.
The 22-year-old flanker, Lawes, could be ruled out from the remaining matches of the global event if he is found responsible for deliberately kneeing his opponent. Mario Ledesma got a severe blow to his head from the rampant English star near the end of
first-half and was forced to leave the field. Argentina was ahead with a slight lead of 6-3 when the incident took place.
Argentina further extended its lead to 9-3 just after the resumption of the second-half but England managed to bounce back in the match with Ben Youngs’ excellent try in the 66th minute of the match.
Talking to reporters about the cited player, Martin Johnson said that Courtney Lawes will clear his stand before the judicial officials of RWCL, Terry Willis, who will judge his act in accordance to the report. Martin Johnson further said that, “We have
received notification of Courtney's citing. We will of course provide Rugby World Cup with any information required and attend the hearing as requested. There will be no further comment until after the hearing.”
Meanwhile, the notification of RWCL reads, “Courtney Lawes (England) has been cited for an alleged breach of Law 10.4(a) punching or striking (with the knee) during the Rugby World Cup 2011 Pool B match against Argentina on September 10.”
Courtney Lawes has become the first player to be cited since the start of Rugby World Cup 2011. Rugby World Cup was kicked off on September 9 in New Zealand.
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