Statement: England forward handed three match ban following Ireland clash
Today at 11:23 AM
England U20 flanker Junior Kpoku has been slapped with a three-match ban after appearing before an independent Disciplinary Committee via video link this morning.
Find your local Greene King and settle in for the 2025 Six Nations!
The 20-year-old was shown a 20-minute red card in England's clash with Ireland last Thursday, after being cited for an act of foul play contrary to Law 9.13 (dangerous tackling).
Verdict and sanction
Chaired by Richard Cole (Wales), with ex-internationals David Croft (Australia) and Stefan Terblanche (South Africa) on the panel, the Disciplinary Committee upheld the red card and deemed a mid-range sanction of six matches appropriate. However, with Kpoku accepting responsibility and other mitigating factors considered, his ban was halved to three weeks.
What matches will he miss?
- 7 February 2025 – England vs France (U20 Six Nations)
- 15 February 2025 – Racing 92 vs Vannes (Top 14)
- 21 February 2025 – England vs Scotland (U20 Six Nations)*
The rising star has been given the option to complete World Rugby's Coaching Intervention Programme, which could see his ban reduced further by removing the final fixture from his suspension.
PREDICTOR GAME:
You will receive points if either/both of your predictions occur during the live match.
POINTS
5 Points: Total Tries Correct
15 Points: Time of 1st Try Correct
A winner will be selected from those with the most points at the end of the game week
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Four players Wales must drop – and who should replace them
With Warren Gatland's team completely outclassed in Paris, questions are already being asked about his selections. Here are four players who should be axed ahead of Wales’ next match.
Ben Thomas
Rugby Pass 5/10: “Cannot be faulted for trying to play with width, but he was not without errors in doing so and a few poor decisions- particularly a strange first-half chip when Wales were in a promising position. Looked more comfortable when shifting to inside centre, where he proved to be slightly more threatening when attacking the line.”
Wales Online 5/10: “Showed glimpses of his attacking threat in the first-half with a couple of half-breaks while his kicking out of hand was decent. But Wales’ attack ran out of ideas in the second-half, albeit behind a beaten pack.”
Planet Rugby 5/10: “You can see the potential but once again it was a mixed bag from the playmaker. There were a few good moments early on but he became ragged and took some poor decisions as Wales unravelled in the Six Nations opener, despite getting more playmaking support when Dan Edwards came on for Watkin in the first half.”
Replacement: Dan Edwards
CONTINUES ON PAGE TWO
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