LONDON – Dylan Hartley has been dropped from the England squad for the 2015 Rugby World Cup after receiving a four week suspension on Thursday that would see him miss England’s first game against Fiji at Twickenham in the flagship event.
The 29 year old Northampton Hooker was cited for a head-butt in the Saints’ loss to Northampton but the ban he received would last only until three days into the tournament.
Many believed that Hartley would simply assume his spot in the squad at the conclusion of his ban however Stuart Lancaster as well as the RFU have taken a strong stance on ill-disciplined behaviour on and off the field.
His exclusion from the England’s 2015 Rugby World Cup squad means that Hartley would have missed both the Rugby World Cup and the Lions Tour to Australia in 2013 having become the first player to be sent off in the 2013 Aviva Premiership Final.
This is unfortunate for Lancaster and the English Rugby Team who had to announce centre Manu Tuilagi’s exclusion from the squad due to disciplinary issues just over a fortnight ago