LEICESTER TIGERS AND Lions prop Dan Cole has been cleared of biting accusations after citing commissioners deemed his contact with Ignacio Mieres’ finger as “accidental”.
Cole, who featured off the bench in the Lions three Tests against Australia this summer, was embroiled in a dust-up in the second-half of Tigers’ 32 — 15 league win over Worcester Warriors. Mieres emerged from a fearsomely contested ruck with blood on his finger but referee Luke Pearce opted against taking action.
There was some on-field niggle but both players continued in their roles as the game resumed. Dean Ryan, Worcester’s director of rugby, denied any knowledge of the matter after his side’s defeat. The club then passed up the opportunity to cite Cole and left any decisions up to the RFU.
Brief footage of the incident, on BT Sport, suggested that there had been a coming together of Mieres’ finger and Cole’s mouth but there was nothing conclusive. BT’s rugby analyst Austin Healey, who played 11 seasons with Leicester, defended the 40-cap England international. However, he remarked, “You don’t put your fingers in a dog’s mouth.”
The union’s citing commissioner, Peter Larter decided against disciplining Cole. An RFU statement read: “The RFU citing commissioner has viewed the incident many times and using all the available camera angles and believes it is accidental due to the dynamics of the contact as Dan Cole went to ground. No further action is to be taken.”
Cole was the victim of a Cian Healy stamp, earlier this year, that led to the Ireland and Lions prop missing a Six Nations match with Scotland.
