How convenient.

England captain Owen Farrell was handed a four-game ban today, reduced to three upon completion of a World Rugby Coaching Intervention Programme, after he was cited for a dangerous tackle on Gloucester’s Jack Clement.

Farrell escaped punishment on the night and to make matters worse – scored the winning drop-goal for Saracens in the final seconds. But he was subsequently cited and handed a ban by the RFU today but something doesn’t quite add up.

As pointed out by Times rugby correspondent Alex Lowe, Farrell’s ban includes a match the England captain would not have played in, unless he was dropped by England. The games listed in today’s press release are as follows:

14.01 v Lyon
22.01 v Edinburgh
28.01 v Bristol
19.02 v Leicester Tigers

And the explanation for this? The England squd has not been picked yet, so the panel only included club games.

Absolutely hilarious.