Sale and England wing Chris Ashton cited for tip tackle red card

Chris Ashton is facing a potentially longer ban than originally thought after he was sent off against Castres

Sale wing Chris Ashton has been cited by the RFU following his red card in the pre-season game against Castres.

The England wing was dismissed for a tip tackle on Castres scrum-half Rory Kockott and will appear before an independent disciplinary panel in London on Thursday.

The entry-point sanction for a tip tackle is six weeks but Ashton's poor disciplinary record could count against him. He was banned for a total of 23 weeks in 2016 after being found guilty of biting and making contact with the eye area of an opponent.

Ashton's Sale team-mate Alexandru Tarus has also been cited after being sent off in the same match for diving head-first into a ruck.

Image: Ashton scored a Top 14-record 24 tries with Toulon last season

Ashton joined Sale this summer after a year with Toulon, where he broke the record for most tries scored in a Top 14 season with 24.

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The 31-year-old rugby league convert was called up by England head coach Eddie Jones for a training camp earlier this month.

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Sale begin their Gallagher Premiership campaign against Harlequins at the Stoop on September 1.

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