England hopeful could cop huge ban for biting as Ma’a Nonu is cited

Sale Sharks hooker Nathan Jibulu will face a hearing today after allegedly biting Harlequins’ Will Hobson in the Investec Champions Cup round of 16 on Saturday.

The alleged bite occurred 69 minutes into Sale Sharks’ victory at the Twickenham Stoop, as Jibulu lined up against his former side.

The 23-year-old will attend the hearing via video conference today, charged with contravening Law 9.12 – A player must not physically abuse anyone. Physical abuse includes biting. The low end entry point for a biting is a 12-week ban, with the top end punishment being a 208-week (four years) ban.

Jibulu escaped any punishment during the match, having come on in the second half initially in the back-row.

Sale director of rugby Alex Sanderson revealed after the match that England hooker Luke Cowan-Dickie appeared to have suffered a fractured arm in his two-try performance against Quins. A ban for Jibulu would mean that the Sharks will head to Dublin to take on Leinster in the quarter-finals on Saturday without their two preferred options at hooker, adding to their burgeoning list of absentees.

With Cowan-Dickie facing a spell on the sidelines, a vacancy will open in Steve Borthwick’s England squad for their Nations Championship fixtures against South Africa, Fiji and Argentina in July. Having already represented England A this season, Jibulu would be one of the contenders to receive a call-up, but a lengthy ban could dash any of those plans.

All Blacks legend Ma’a Nonu, 20 years Jibulu’s senior at the age of 43, has also been cited following his yellow card in the closing minutes of Toulon’s victory over the Stormers at the Stade Mayol on Saturday.

The double World Cup winner made contact with the head of Stormers replacement Wandisile Simelane, with referee Christophe Ridley brandishing a yellow card. Any ban would rule the All Blacks centurion out of their quarter-final clash with Glasgow Warriors this weekend.