BRIVE FORWARDS Arnaud Mela and Guillaume Ribes have been cited following the stormy conclusion to London Irish’s 36-3 victory in the Correze on Saturday. Mela has been cited for striking Exiles’ hooker Danie Coetzee, while Ribes was subsequently red-carded for kicking the same player.

The length of bans for gouging have varied wildly in the past but the London Irish head coach, Toby Booth, is among those adamant offenders need to be dealt with firmly. “If a player is pinned at the bottom of a ruck, like Stephen Ferris was [in Ulster’s weekend meeting with Stade Français], or is bound up in a scrum and can’t protect himself, that’s just a cheap shot,” said Booth, whose side face Brive again in Reading this Saturday.

“That sort of thing can be career-threatening and there’s no place for it in the game. The big issue is intent and being malicious. If it’s a premeditated act, contact with the eyes is malicious. Nor is there any room for people throwing uppercuts in scrums.”

Booth stressed the importance of players not taking the law into their own hands if there are similar flashpoints in this weekend’s return fixtures. Match officials, he believes, will have to be even more vigilant. “In this sort of situation you’ve got to be protected by the referee and his team of officials.”

Danny Care is free to return for Harlequins at Sale on Sunday. The England scrumhalf received a one-match suspension for a dangerous tackle but is already serving a one-week ban imposed by his club.