England prop Joe Marler set to complete suspension without missing a match

England prop Joe Marler will complete his 10-week ban from rugby without missing a match due to the coronavirus shutdown.

Marler was handed the suspension on March 12 after being found guilty of grabbing Wales captain Alun Wyn Jones by the genitals during England’s stormy 33-30 win in the Guinness Six Nations.

Under World Rugby guidelines, each week of a ban should correspond to a match, with Marler’s suspension set to cover a 12-week period during which the Harlequins player had been due to play 10 times.

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The ban expires on June 7 and that time frame will not change despite the suspension in play due to the pandemic having wiped out the fixtures which Marler was due to miss.

The Gallagher Premiership will not resume before June 27 at the earliest.

England centre Manu Tuilagi has already completed a four-week ban for a dangerous tackle on George North in the same game. That ban expired on April 14.

It had been previously reported that Marler was weighing up the prospect of retirement with immediate effect after he received widespread criticism on social media for his indiscretion.

That led him to temporarily suspend his Twitter and Instagram accounts, although both accounts are now active again.

– Press Association