Long ban not expected

Churchill Cup Ireland A flanker Roger Wilson will appear before a disciplinary committee today as a result of the red card he…

Churchill CupIreland A flanker Roger Wilson will appear before a disciplinary committee today as a result of the red card he received in the latter stages of Saturday's 27-6 Churchill Cup defeat to New Zealand Maori.

Television cameras clearly caught Wilson head-butting an opponent on the ground in Saturday's defeat. Under IRB regulation 17.14, which deals with foul play, striking with the head can be punished by a suspension ranging between six to 36 weeks.

If Wilson receives the maximum sanction, he will be unavailable to Ulster until February 17th 2007.

The hearing takes place at 11am (7pm Irish-time) with the RFU's Robert Horner acting as the tournaments judiciary chairman. A long-term suspension is not expected, mainly due to the 24-year-old's respectable disciplinary record.

Gavin Cummiskey

Gavin Cummiskey

Gavin Cummiskey is The Irish Times' Soccer Correspondent