THOUGH he protested to the end that he had mistaken his victim's identity, Neil Back yesterday incurred a six month suspension from the English Rugby Football Union for pushing the referee at the end of Leicester's highly charged Pilkington Cup final defeat by Bath.

The ban is not what it seems, since the six months include the close season and will therefore leave the 27 year old recent England flanker free to play again from November 4th always supposing Leicester are still under the auspices of the RFU at that time.

As well as the beginning of next season, Back will have to miss summer benefit matches in aid of Max Brito, the Ivory Coast player paralysed during last year's World Cup, and Philippe Sella, the veteran centre who is leaving France to play for Saracens. The real total is more like 10 weeks, a not unreasonable and even lenient sentence for such a blatant breaking of one of rugby's taboos. Nevertheless, Back's club yesterday professed their disappointment at its "severity" and said they would consider an appeal after receiving the written decision of the RFU disciplinary panel.