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Toby Knight banned despite Saracens claiming red was a yellow card
By Liam Heagney
Saracens forward Toby Knight has been hit with a three-game ban following last weekend’s sending-off at Bath. The soon-to-be 22-year-old was given his marching orders by referee Karl Dickson just minutes into the London club’s Gallagher Premiership match at The Rec.
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Mark McCall’s side were trailing 0-7 when the openside was punished for his shoulder to the head of Ollie Lawrence and they struggled a man short, going on lose by a record 10-68 scoreline.
Knight will now miss this Saturday’s home league match versus Bristol and next weekend’s trip to Ireland to face Munster in the Investec Champions Cup. However, he can become available for the final match of his ban – the January 19 European game at home to Castres – if he successfully completes tackle school.
A statement read: “The case of Saracens’ Toby Knight was heard by an independent panel chaired by Charles Cuthbert, sitting with Mitch Read and Veryan Boscawen.
“Knight was shown a red card for a high tackle, contrary to World Rugby law 9.13, during a game against Bath on December 28. The charge was upheld and Knight received a three-match ban which will be reduced to two if he successfully completes the World Rugby coaching intervention programme.”
Knight accepted at the hearing that he had committed foul play but in the 10-page verdict published by the RFU, Warrick Lang, the head of culture and rugby manager at Saracens, claimed: “We have no issue with the official’s first two steps of the head contact process. Head contact had occurred, we accept there was foul play but that a yellow card would have been sufficient for this instance.
“We contest that the third step and the fourth step in the HCP were in error, but we wish to put on record that we don’t criticise the officials for how they dealt with this as we have been afforded the time to closely analyse the footage with no time pressure.”
- Click here to read the full 10-page written verdict from the Toby Knight hearing
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