Marler to complete 10-week ban during shutdown

Joe Marler is currently serving a 10-week ban from rugby

England prop Joe Marler will complete his 10-week ban from rugby without missing a match due to the coronavirus shutdown.

Marler was handed the suspension on March 12 after being found guilty of grabbing Wales captain Alun Wyn Jones by the genitals during England’s 33-30 win in the Six Nations.

Under World Rugby guidelines, each week of a ban should correspond to a match, with Marler’s suspension set to cover a 12-week period during which the Harlequins player had been due to play 10 times.

The ban expires on June 7 and that time frame will not change despite the suspension in play due to the pandemic having wiped out the fixtures which Marler was due to miss.

The Gallagher Premiership will not resume before June 27 at the earliest.

England centre Manu Tuilagi has already completed a four-week ban for a dangerous tackle on George North in the same game. That ban expired on April 14.