MY ACCOUNT
England lock Charlie Ewels has been given a three-match ban for the red card he received early on against Ireland last weekend.
The 26-year-old was dismissed just 82 seconds into Saturday’s 32-15 defeat at Twickenham after clashing heads with opposite number James Ryan.
That red card was the earliest ever in the Six Nations, with each of the three quickest in the competition’s history coming in the last two editions.
Ewels will now miss England’s final game of this year’s tournament against France in Paris, as well as Bath’s Premiership fixtures against Sale Sharks and Worcester Warriors.
However, he can undertake a Coaching Intervention Programme to have that suspension reduced to two matches, meaning he will be available to face Worcester on March 30.
Ewels was facing a possible ban of up to six weeks, but that was halved due to mitigating factors such as an early acceptance of the red and his remorse.
England’s defeat to Ireland means they cannot finish any higher than third in this year’s tournament.
Next opponents France are two points better off than Ireland, who host Scotland in the final round of fixtures, and are one win away from a first title and Grand Slam since 2010.
Two of France’s three previous Grand Slams have been completed with a win over England in the final round, in 2004 and 2010.
England head to Paris aiming to avoid losing three games in a single edition of the competition for a third time under Eddie Jones, previously doing so in 2018 and 2021.
