England prop Kyle Sinckler apologised for the incident on social media but faces a potential ban at Tuesday's disciplinary hearing; England's Six Nations campaign is due to begin on February 6
Monday 11 January 2021 14:16, UK
England prop Kyle Sinckler faces a potential ban for allegedly swearing at referee Karl Dickson while playing for Bristol Bears against Exeter Chiefs.
Sinckler is alleged to have said "are you f**king serious?" after Dickson chose not to penalise Exeter's Luke Cowan-Dickie for a no-arms tackle on the England forward.
The referee's microphone picked up Dickson telling Sinckler his language had been "unacceptable".
But Sinckler faced no further action at the time.
Sinckler, who apologised for the incident on social media, will now appear before an online independent disciplinary panel on Tuesday evening.
"Want to apologise for my reaction today," he wrote on Twitter. "Not the example I want to be setting. Heat of the moment stuff. Will make a conscious effort to improve. My bad."
A low-end sanction for this offence is a two-week ban, while if it is deemed mid-range Sinckler could face four weeks out.
England's Six Nations campaign is due to begin on February 6.
