Henry Arundell free to face Ireland after escaping England ban for sending off

By Duncan Bech, Press Association Rugby Union Correspondent

Henry Arundell is free to face Ireland on Saturday after escaping a ban for being sent off in England’s Guinness Six Nations defeat by Scotland.

Arundell was shown two yellow cards in the first half of the 31-20 loss at Murrayfield in round two, with the second resulting in a 20-minute red card, thereby triggering a citing.

However, a disciplinary hearing held on Tuesday decided that the “sending off of the player had been a sufficient sanction and no further sanction was appropriate”.

Arundell was initially penalised for a breakdown offence and was then given his marching orders for taking Scotland wing Kyle Steyn out in the air shortly before half-time.

At the hearing, the 23-year-old wing accepted he had committed acts of foul play for both yellow cards and the committee upheld the subsequent red.

It was then decided that because of the circumstances, which included the “first yellow card had been issued for a ‘technical offence’ and that the second yellow card had been issued for a very different act of foul play”, he should receive no further punishment.

Arundell has scored four tries in his two starts in this Six Nations, including a hat-trick in the opener against Wales, but is fighting for his place in the team following his disciplinary lapses in Edinburgh.