Dylan Hartley wouldn’t have been the most popular rugby player in these parts before the weekend and a little scrap with Rory Best on Friday night won’t have helped his reputation one bit.
‘Combative’ would be a kind way to describe the England hooker, who has a record of disciplinary issues in the past and got to grips with direct opponent Rory Best during Ulster’s convincing victory over Northampton on Friday night.
What Best did to make him so angry we’re not quite sure, but Hartley caught him with a couple of elbows on the ground, with Best doing well not to react before John Afoa intervened to shovel Hartley out of the way.
It wasn’t only the Hartley-haters shouting at the screen who caught sight of the incident, however, as the hooker was cited for striking with the fist or the arm which could result in a ban of anything from two weeks at the low end to a whole year for more serious offences.
We doubt that Hartley will be hit with too lengthy of a ban, but it could affect his involvement in the rest of Northampton’s Heineken Cup campaign as well as his participation in the Six Nations if the citing commissioners come down hard on a player who’s hardly known for being whiter than white.
Hat-tip: Rugby Dump
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