Hartley cleared to play

The citing complaint against Dylan Hartley was dismissed on Wednesday making the hooker eligible for selection for England's upcoming November Tests.

Hartley was cited for an alleged strike to the head of Clermont Auvergne prop Rabah Slimani in the first half of Northampton’s 24-7 Champions Cup defeat on Saturday.

“The disciplinary committee found that Hartley had committed a reckless act of foul play in that he had struck Slimani in the face, however the committee was not satisfied that the offence had warranted a red card,” EPCR said in a statement.

“The citing complaint was therefore dismissed and Hartley is free to play.”

The news will come as a relief to England coach Eddie Jones who has in the past made Hartley his captain. However, Jones will still be anxiously awaiting the verdict on Wasps' Nathan Hughes and Harlequins' Joe Marler after the pair were also cited at the weekend.

Hartley faces stiff competition from Saracens' Jamie George for the starting hooker berth with many feeling the latter deserves to dethrone the incumbent captain.

Meanwhile, Saints' director of rugby Jim Mallinder said justice had been served:

“The decision to cite Dylan from Saturday’s game against Clermont was unjustified. This was a run-of-the-mill rugby incident during a high intensity game of European rugby.

"Anyone who watched the game could see that this was completely accidental – a misjudgement at a clear–out, plain and simple. When we should be preparing for a crucial league game against Wasps this Saturday, we have instead been distracted by what we believe was an unwarranted judicial hearing.

"Citings like this do beg the question of whether Dylan is being singled out for what has happened in the past rather than being judged solely on Saturday’s game.”