Sinckler banned for eye gouging
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Harlequins tighthead prop Kyle Sinckler has been banned for seven weeks after pleading guilty to making contact with the eye of Northampton Saints lock Michael Paterson.
Sinckler was accused of the offence in the 49th minute of Saturday's Premiership fixture but referee Luke Pearce decided replay footage was inconclusive and awarded a penalty only for removing the scrum cap of the Saints lock.
The British & Irish Lion will miss the first two England autumn internationals against Argentina & Australia but will return for the Samoa fixture on the 25th of November.
Following this evening's hearing in Bristol, Sinckler released a statement on the incident;
“I accept the outcome of the hearing and wanted to go on record to say I am sorry that I have let my team mates down, but more importantly I feel terrible that anyone would think I would deliberately gouge an opponent.
That was never my intention - it was a genuine mistake and an act of recklessness on my part.
“I will spend the next seven weeks working hard on my fitness and rugby to ensure that when I am able to get back on the field I am fit and ready to do so and make the best possible contribution to Quins.
The Chairman of the panel Dan White said: “The panel heard evidence from the player as to his actions. They found that it was an intentional action but that due to the absence of injury it merited a low end entry point.
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