The Scotland No 8 Ryan Wilson has escaped a ban for making contact with the eye area of his opposite number Nathan Hughes during the Calcutta Cup match at Murrayfield last weekend despite a disciplinary panel finding that he had committed an act of foul play.
Wilson was cited two days after the match and charged with an alleged act of physical abuse, making contact with the eye area of an opponent. He denied the accusation and provided medical evidence that because of a pre-existing injury, two of his fingers on his right hand were involuntarily in a bent or hooked position.
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The three-member disciplinary committee, which was chaired by Roger Morris of Wales, considered that to be a mitigating factor after finding that Wilson had made contact with two of his fingers with the eye area, defined in the regulations as anywhere in proximity to the eye, of Hughes in the 37th minute.
The panel decided that the contact had been reckless rather than intentional, light and fleeting and had come about as a result of Wilson’s efforts to grab Hughes’s shirt during an off-the-ball scuffle between the pair. They ruled the foul play did not warrant a red card and Wilson will be available for selection against Ireland next week.
Wilson was involved in a scuffle before the match against England as the players left the field to return to the dressing rooms following the warm‑up. The England centre Owen Farrell was caught on camera chasing the No 8 who it is reported to have tried to wind up the outside-half George Ford.
The incident was immediately picked up by the television broadcaster and the Six Nations launched an investigation that concluded on Wednesday. Both the Scottish and English unions were asked to submit their versions of the incident and the tournament organisers will not be taking the matter further.
“There was some evidence of pushing and shoving in the tunnel but not clear evidence of violent conduct or similar against any individual player,” said a Six Nations statement. “We will be writing to the unions to remind them and their respective players of their obligations to uphold the reputation of the tournament at all times, but no further disciplinary action will be taken.”