Fillol cited for Stringer incident

Stade Francais scrumhalf Jerome Fillol will face a disciplinary hearing in Dublin this Thursday after being cited for spitting at Peter Stringer in the Amlin Challenge Cup quarter-finals.

Television cameras caught Fillol appearing to spit in the face of his opposite number at The Rec last Saturday and the citing commissioner has brought a complaint against the 35-year-old number nine.

He will become the first professional player to be cited for spitting at an opponent.

After the match, Stringer said he was “disgusted and angry” about the incident.

“That’s never happened to me before in my career and there’s no place for it in rugby,” he told reporters. “It’s about as low as anyone can possibly go and I’m still a bit raw after being in the receiving end.

“I was a bit rattled for a while but then you try not to dwell on it and get on with the game. It’s out of my hands now.”

Under the International Rugby Board regulation 10.4 (l), the offence carries a four-week suspension for what is regarded a “low” end incident, rising to seven to mid-level and at least 11 weeks, with a maximum of 52 weeks, for the worst offenders.