Grewcock's ban leaves door open for England duty

Danny Grewock's immediate international career remains a going concern ­ just about ­ despite being found guilty by a Rugby Football Union disciplinary panel of reckless use of the boot during the Premiership match between Saracens and Bath at Vicarage Road 10 days ago. The Bath captain was sent off following an incident involving his former club colleague and one-time flat-mate Kyran Bracken, but the tribunal decided he had not acted with intent and banned him for five weeks, as opposed to the 12 weeks on the cards at the start of last night's hearing.

Grewcock cannot play again until 24 October, but he has at least an outside chance of proving his match fitness before England take on New Zealand at Twickenham on 9 November. The sentence inevitably raises the old "convenience" issue: two seasons ago, the Leicester lock Martin Johnson returned from suspension just in time to play a Six Nations match against Wales in Cardiff. Significant numbers of rugby followers will need an awful lot of convincing that the RFU does not play the disciplinary game to suit the best interests of the national team.

Had the panel, chaired by the former Rosslyn Park scrum-half Richard Moon, thrown the book at the Lions lock, his chances of appearing in England's autumn Test series, which also includes matches with Australia and South Africa, would have been non-existent. Apart from anything else, Grewcock has previous in this regard: during the 1998 "tour of hell", he was dismissed during a Test against the All Blacks in Dunedin for the suitably diabolical crime of head-kicking, and was banned for five weeks, coincidentally enough.

Last night's proceedings took place in a hotel on the outskirts of Coventry, Grewcock's home city. The player was accompanied by Jack Rowell, the former England coach who re-joined Bath as director of rugby in the summer after an eight-year absence. The club solicitor, Tom Sheppard, also helped fight the captain's corner. Afterwards, the Bath contingent expressed their disappointment at the sentence and said they would consider lodging an appeal.

In his judgement, the chairman said: "The panel saw two video clips, which we felt were inconclusive. Mr Rowden [Ashley Rowden, the touch-judge who brought the incident to the attention of the referee, Steve Leyshon, and recommended dismissal] was questioned closely and stated that Grewcock lashed out in a definite kicking motion, although he does not believe it was his intention to kick Bracken in the face."

Bracken, who needed stitches in a wound to his chin, supported Grewcock's insistence that the contact was accidental, and suggested that the sending-off should be viewed as sufficient punishment. Unfortunately for Grewcock and Bath, who must now play a series of difficult Premiership matches without their captain, the tribunal did not buy that argument. Bath's plight is made worse by the fact that their other international lock, the outstanding Steve Borthwick, is still recovering from knee surgery and may not be ready to resume for another month.

Leeds, unbeaten in the Premiership after three outings, have lost the services of one of their prize overseas signings, the former Springbok centre Japie Mulder, whose granite defence was a major component in South Africa's World Cup triumph seven years ago. Mulder, who is suffering from a serious neck injury, is returning to Johannesburg for an extended period of treatment and is unlikely to make an early return to the English game ­ if, indeed, he returns at all.

The 32-year-old had more than eight months left on his contract, but the arrangement was terminated by mutual consent. Leeds, who signed the Argentinian Test centre Hernan Senillosa on a short-term deal last week, have no need to race headlong into the transfer market because another South African, Braam van Straaten, has moved from outside-half to inside centre and is therefore occupying Mulder's natural position.