Martin Johnson’s appeal against a three-week ban for punching will be held next Tuesday.
Johnson was banned by the RFU last Tuesday for punching Saracens hooker Robbie Russell in a club game last month.
Johnson and his club Leicester appealed over the weekend against the jurisdiction of the Rugby Football Union disciplinary panel that imposed the ban. They maintain that the RFU acted outside their jurisdiction when banning a player already punished (Johnson received a yellow card at the time) by the referee.
The timing of the Leicester and England captain’s subsequent appeal means he is free to lead England out at the Stade de France in Saturday’s Six Nations clash with France, the match likely to decide the outcome of this year’s championship.
The appeal will be held in front of a single independent arbitrator at Twickenham.
