Heineken Cup
Young suspended for eight weeks
ESPNscrum Staff
January 27, 2012
Tigers scrum-half Micky Young looks for a pass, Leicester Tigers v Aironi, Heineken Cup, Welford Road, Leicester, England, January 21, 2012
Micky Young has been found guilty of making contact with the eye area of Aironi wing Giulio Toniolatti © Getty Images
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Leicester scrum-half Micky Young has been handed an eight-week suspension after being found guilty of making "contact with the eyes or the eye area" of Aironi wing Giulio Toniolatti.

The Tigers' No.9 was cited following his side's 33-6 victory over their Italian rivals in their Heineken Cup clash at Welford Road last Saturday and was called to appear before a disciplinary hearing in Dublin earlier today.

The independent judicial officer Pat Barriscale heard evidence and submissions from Young, who pleaded not guilty to the charge, Tigers executive director Peter Wheeler and European Rugby Cup (ERC) disciplinary officer Roger O'Connor before upholding the citing complaint.

However, Barriscale concluded that Young had committed an act which was "reckless rather than deliberate" and as a result decided the offence was at the low-end of the scale laid down by the International Rugby Board. That would warrant a 12-week ban but having taken into account the "player's excellent record and exemplary conduct during the hearing", he granted the player mitigation of four weeks, and imposed a suspension of eight weeks.

Young will be free to play on March 19 but both the player and ERC have the right to appeal the decision.

The sanction is set to give the Tigers' director of rugby Richard Cockerill a selection headache with first-choice No.9 Ben Youngs set to absent during England's Six Nations campaign. As a result rivals Sam Harrison and James Grindal are set for more prominent roles.

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.

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