Kyle Sinckler cited for alleged bite

Kyle Sinckler has been cited for biting during the second Test of the British & Irish Lions 2021 series at Cape Town Stadium on Saturday.

The alleged incident happened in a ruck in the 64th minute of the match, which South Africa won 27-9 to level the series.

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The Lions prop, who replaced Tadhg Furlong midway through the second half of the match, faces a long ban if the citing is upheld. The sanctions for biting span from a 12-week/match ban if the offence is deemed to be low end, 18 weeks if it’s mid-range and 24-plus if it’s top end.

Sinckler will now attend an independent disciplinary hearing on Tuesday 3 August. The hearing will take place virtually via video conference and the all-Australian judicial committee will be chaired by Adam Casselden SC and also comprises former international players David Croft and John Langford.

Sinckler is the only player to be cited by citing commissioner Scott Nowland after a match that involved several controversial incidents.

There were two yellow cards in the first half – Duhan van der Merwe for tripping Cheslin Kolbe and Kolbe for taking Conor Murray out in the air.

Many felt the Kolbe tackle on Murray might meet the red card threshold required for a citing but Nowland didn’t agree.

There were also question marks around whether an early Mako Vunipola tackle on Eben Etzebeth and a Faf de Klerk tackle on Murray involved shoulders making contact with the head but again neither were cited.

Video clips posted on social media saw some suggest Stuart Hogg had bitten Wille le Roux and the Lions full-back released a statement denying the accusations. Again, he wasn’t cited.

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