Hartley handed 6 week ban
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England Captain Dylan Hartley has been banned for 6 weeks for striking Sean O' Brien during Northampton's loss to Leinster on Friday night.
The hooker will be available for the start of England's Six Nations defence.
Hartley was sent off for the third time in his career during the Champion's Cup Clash against Leinster at Franklin's Gardens.
Dylan Hartley's 6 week ban for striking now means the hooker has missed 60 weeks of rugby through bans during his career to date 😳 pic.twitter.com/LV5DtxPJPb
— Ultimate Rugby (@ultimaterugby) December 14, 2016
There were fears that Hartley's poor disciplinary record could land him a suspension of eight weeks, ruling him out of England's opening Six Nations game against France.
But a disciplinary panel deemed the offence 'mid-range' and handed out a statutory five-week ban, with one extra week due to his previous bans, which now totals 54 weeks.
