Michael Cheika has been accused of disrespecting an independent matchday doctor after his first match in charge of Leicester Tigers last month and was on Tuesday night due to face a Rugby Football Union disciplinary hearing.
Cheika, who faces a ban if found guilty, is alleged by the RFU to have breached its rule that governs conduct prejudicial to the interest of the game. Leicester secured a dramatic victory in the match in question – edging past Exeter with a last-gasp Tommy Reffell try – but the Tigers are believed to be frustrated at the red card shown to their centre Solomone Kata.
The frustration stems from the fact that he will miss five matches after his sending off for a dangerous tackle on Jack Yeandle at Sandy Park despite “showing obvious signs of concussion”, calling into question whether he should have been on the pitch at the time.
Shortly before the tackle, Kata was involved in a collision with his teammate Ollie Chessum as the pair attempted to tackle the Exeter winger Immanuel Feyi-Waboso. Chessum was sent for a head injury assessment but Kata was not. The incident was later reviewed by the independent matchday doctor, who told the Tigers that both players should have been removed for HIAs due to showing category-one symptoms which results in a stand-down period of 12 days.
Neither Chessum nor Kata were deemed fit to face Bath and, compounding matters for the Tigers, Kata’s unavailability meant that Sunday’s defeat did not count towards his four-match suspension.
Asked about the Kata situation after Leicester’s defeat by Bath on Sunday, in which the centre Izaia Perese was shown a yellow card for a late collision with Joe Cokanasiga, Cheika said: “I think American sitcoms have made the phrase ‘whatever’ famous. That’s all I’ve got to say really.
“Whatever it is, it is now. Even [Perese] getting 10 in the bin today, he just turned his back. It is what it is now, just got to go with the flow I think. Fighting against it just gets you distracted.”
Cheika has been openly critical of refereeing performances in the past while in 2017 he was warned by World Rugby after he was caught on camera sarcastically applauding decisions during Australia’s 30-6 defeat by England at Twickenham. The RFU is set to issue the verdict of the disciplinary hearing on Wednesday morning.
Sale Sharks, meanwhile, are still waiting to discover if their England fly-half George Ford faces a prolonged spell on the sidelines. Ford limped off inside the opening seven minutes of Saturday’s Premiership defeat at Saracens with a torn muscle in his thigh which may yet affect his availability for his country’s opening autumn Test against New Zealand.
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The England fly-half George Ford sustained a torn thigh muscle during Sale's 45-26 Premiership defeat by Saracens. And in another concern for the England head coach, Steve Borthwick, ahead of the autumn Tests, the Northampton scrum-half Alex Mitchell remains sidelined with a neck problem that has delayed his start to the season.
Ford underwent a scan on Monday evening after being forced off inside seven minutes of Saturday's game at StoneX Stadium. The Sharks director of rugby, Alex Sanderson, is awaiting a full diagnosis to determine how long the playmaker will be sidelined. England begin their four autumn internationals on 2 November when New Zealand visit Twickenham.
"Just the initial reports from the scan, it is a tear," said Sanderson. "It was definitely the right thing to bring him off. We don't know the length of time that will take to rehab at this point. We haven't got anything definite or concrete to tell you now."
Ford missed his country's summer tour of Japan and New Zealand with a damaged achilles. He left the pitch against Sarries soon after attempting a long-range penalty. The 31-year-old, whose existing Sale contract expires at the end of the season, is in talks over extending his deal to the 2027 Rugby World Cup, with Sanderson confident of reaching an agreement.
"It's up for renewal at Christmas and we are in negotiation for extending to the World Cup – positive tones, I might add," said Sanderson.
On England No 9 Mitchell, Northampton's rugby director, Phil Dowson, said: "He's had scans, he's had some treatment and we're just waiting to see if that treatment is sufficient to get him going again. It's wait and see at the moment. There is genuinely no timeline, because it could be anything at the moment." PA Media
The Sharks, who face Gloucester this Friday, have also revealed Tom Curry will again be absent after experiencing a setback in his recovery from the concussion he suffered against Harlequins on the league’s opening weekend. Sanderson said the injury-plagued Curry was “not feeling his best” and would not be rushed back until he was symptom-free.
Prop Bevan Rodd, meanwhile, has a grade-three hamstring tear and the club’s England lock Jonny Hill is still awaiting the outcome of a police investigation into his altercation with a Bath supporter following last season’s semi-final at the Recreation Ground. “We’ve had no clarity regarding the exact date Jonny is going to return,” said Sanderson.
“It’s still with the authorities and we’re having to wait. The guy who’s supposed to be dealing with it is on annual leave. I have to take deep breaths and accept it’s out of my – and Jonny’s – control. We’ve got barristers on the case but it’s a long process which is not conducive to professional sport.”