England's Danny Grewcock is in danger of missing the potential Grand Slam decider against Ireland on Sunday week after being cited for two offences of striking another player during an English Premiership game.
The Bath captain has been summoned to appear before a Rugby Football Union disciplinary panel at a Gatwick Airport hotel next Tuesday night.
He must answer two separate striking charges - incidents which allegedly happened in each half of Bath's 27-10 home defeat against Northampton last Saturday.
Grewcock, capped 38 times by England, also faces a complaint of unsporting behaviour, which is thought to relate to him ripping up Northampton lock Mark Connors' scrum cap following a first-half wrestling match between the players.
If 30-year-old Grewcock, who is no stranger to disciplinary problems, lands a ban, then he seems certain not to feature in Dublin.
Scotland's coach Ian McGeechan announced two changes yesterday to the team for their Six Nations Championship clash against England at Twickenham tomorrow.
Andy Craig comes in for Kevin Utterson at centre and Nathan Hines replaces lock Stuart Grimes. In the replacements, Ross Beattie steps in for Jon Petrie, who drops into the A squad for this evening's game against England A at Northampton.
Frederic Michalak comes in at outhalf for Francois Gelez on the French team to face Italy at the Stadio Flamina on Sunday, and Thomas Castaignede starts at outside centre for Xavier Garbajosa who pushes out Vincent Clerc on the left wing.
Laporte leaves his pack intact after branding his forwards "cheats" following the defeat at Lansdowne Road.
Michalak (20) wins his seventh cap, although all but the previous two were at scrumhalf.
Italy's flanker-turned-winger Mauro Bergamasco has been ruled out of the match at the Flaminio stadium. Brother of full back Mirco, Bergamasco failed to fully recover from a torn muscle in his right leg and is replaced in the Azzurri side by Treviso team-mate Nicola Mazzuccato.
Italy coach John Kirwan made two other changes to the team that started against England earlier this month. Veteran outhalf Diego Dominguez, the second highest Test points scorer of all time, returns in place of Ramiro Pez, while Lazio's Andrea Lo Cicero replaces Giampiero De Carli in the front row.
Meanwhile, the organisers of the Heineken European Cup have short-listed Lansdowne Road, Villa Park and Le Stadium de Toulouse as venues for the tournament's semi-finals.
The stadiums have been deemed suitable whatever the outcome of the four quarter-final matches, which will be played between April 11th and 13th.
The 42,600-capacity Villa Park in Birmingham will only be used if Northampton win their quarter-final at Toulouse.
With the semi-final draw having already been made, Toulouse or Northampton will be at "home" to either Leicester or Munster.
So Villa Park could play host to an all-English clash between East Midlands rivals Northampton and Leicester.
If Toulouse beat Northampton, then the semi-final involving them and Leicester or Munster is scheduled for the 36,500 capacity Le Stadium de Toulouse.
The quarter-final draw is: Friday, April 11th - Llanelli v Perpignan 7.30 p.m.; Saturday, April 12th: Toulouse v Northampton 1.45p.m.; Leinster v Biarritz 3.35p.m.; Sunday, April 13th - Leicester v Munster 4p.m.
The draw for the semi-finals is: Toulouse or Northampton v Leicester or Munster; Leinster or Biarritz v Llanelli or Perpignan.
SCOTLAND: G Metcalfe (Glasgow Rugby); C Paterson (Edinburgh Rugby), J McLaren (Bordeaux-Begles), A Craig (Orrell), K Logan (London Wasps), G Townsend (The Borders), B Redpath (Sale Sharks, capt); T Smith (Northampton Saints), G Bulloch (Glasgow Rugby), B Douglas (The Borders), S Murray (Edinburgh Rugby), N Hines (do), J White (Glasgow Rugby), A Mower (Newcastle Falcons), S Taylor (Edinburgh Rugby). Replacements: R Russell (Saracens), G Kerr (Leeds Tykes), S Grimes (Newcastle Falcons), R Beattie (Bristol Shoguns), M Blair (Edinburgh Rugby), G Ross (Leeds Tykes), K Utterson (The Borders).
FRANCE: C Poitrenaud (Toulouse); A Rougerie (Montferrand), T Castaignede (Saracens), D Traille (Pau), X Garbajosa (Toulouse), F Michalak (Stade Toulousain), D Yachvili (Biarritz); J-J Crenca (Agen), R Ibanez (Castres), S Marconnet (Stade Francais), F Pelous (Toulouse, capt), O Brouzet (Montferrand), S Betsen (Biarritz), O Magne (Montferrand), I Harinordoquy (Pau). Replacements: J-B Rue (Agen), O Milloud (Bourgoin), D Auradou (Stade Francais), P Tabacco (do), J-B Elissalde (Stade Toulousain), G Merceron (Montferrand), V Clerc (Toulouse).
ITALY: Mirco Bergamasco (Padova); N Mazzuccato (Treviso), P Vaccari (Calvisano), G Raineri (Calvisano), D Dallan (Treviso); D Dominguez (Stade Francais), A Troncon (Treviso, capt); A Lo Cicero (Lazio Primavera), C Festuccia (Gran Parma), R Martinez (Treviso), C Bezzi (Viadana), M Giacheri (Rotherham), A de Rossi (Calvisano), A Persico (Viadana), M Phillips (Viadana). Replacements: F Ongaro (Treviso), L Castrogiovanni (Calvisano), S Dellape (Treviso), S Palmer (Treviso), M Mazzantini (Rovigo), R Pez (Rotherham), A Masi (Conad L'Aquila)
