Johnson up before panel after punch

Martin Johnson will appear before a disciplinary hearing at his Leicester club on Monday following the punch that injured Saracens hooker Robbie Russell.

Peter Wheeler, the Leicester chief executive, told Standard Sport today that the club would speak to Johnson over the matter following the weekend's international with Ireland. He explained: "There is a disciplinary process in place to cover players who receive, as Martin did, a yellow card and Dean Richards (director or rugby) could fine a player or not pick him.

"The powers are with Dean but we cannot say anything else at this moment because we haven't seen Martin since the incident because he linked up with the England squad and is not back with us until Monday.

"We are also awaiting written confirmation of the Rugby Football Union's decision to call a panel hearing on Thursday. We want to see exactly what is being said by the RFU."

Leicester have previously preempted RFU hearings involving their players by imposing club bans but these do not take precedence over the Union's ruling.

Johnson will lead England against Ireland on Saturday but his place in the team to face France in two weeks could be in doubt after Robert Horner, disciplinary officer for the RFU, decided the Leicester lock had to face a charge of bringing the game into disrepute.

If he receives a three-week ban then England coach Clive Woodward will have to find another captain for Paris with Neil Back the favourite to fill the role he held against Ireland in Dublin last October.

A national disciplinary panel will be convened on 21 February in Bristol and it will be chaired by Richard Smith QC. Also on the panel are RFU senior vice-president, Derek Morgan and Richard Moon, the RFU council member for Cambridge University.

Horner said: "It will be for the panel to determine whether a yellow card was sufficient penalty for Martin Johnson's involvement in the incident."

Although the hearing has been arranged for next week, it will inevitably cast a cloud over Johnson on Saturday when he leads out England for the 22nd time, taking him past Bill Beaumont as his country's second-most prolific captain behind Will Carling.

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