Things are heating up for Sexton. According to the British site City AM, the opening half of the XV of Ireland was notified by the EPCR, the organizing body of the Champions Cup, that three counts of misconduct had been brought against him following the defeat of the Leinster against La Rochelle in Dublin in the final of the continental competition.
Jonathan Sexton, who, injured, did not play this match, would have insulted, at the end of the match, the three officials, the South African referee Jaco Peyper and the English linesmen Karl Dickson and Christophe Ridley. All three men confirmed the slip-ups, with one even describing the 37-year-old’s behavior as ‘intimidating’. A video sequence also shows Karl Dickson trying to remove a vindictive Sexton.
The Irish playmaker is also accused of taking part in an alleged altercation in the locker room tunnel at the break of the game. But, according to City AM, these facts would be much less serious.
It remains to be seen what the consequences of three “letters of misconduct” will be for the Irish star. Leinster received the letter at the end of last week and will try to defend Sexton.
If we refer to the precedents, the penalties are severe. This season, Section Paloise coach Sébastien Piqueronies was suspended for 10 weeks for grabbing the arm of Scottish referee Sam Grove-White during a Challenge Cup match.
The same penalty – if handed down this week – would mean the Irish No10 would only be requalified for the final World Cup warm-up game, Ireland-Samoa on August 26. Long injured, that would mean he would enter the competition with just one encounter in six months. If the sanction were more severe, Jonathan Sexton could, in this case, miss the first meetings of the World Cup.
