Bath prop forward Kevin Yates continues to await a verdict in the saga of Simon Fenn's ear injury as the Rugby Football Union inquiry into allegations of ear-biting drags on. The three-man RFU panel, who spent 12 hours listening to evidence on Tuesday, and five hours last night, will not now deliver their verdict until a final meeting next Monday.

Had he not been suspended pending the hearing, the 26-year-old Yates would have been heading for Paris yesterday with the England squad who launch their Five Nations season against France on Saturday.

The prop has already missed out on Bath's European Cup triumph over Brive last weekend in the wake of last month's alleged ear-biting incident which left Fenn, an Australian flanker playing his first game for London Scottish, needing over 25 stitches. Fenn subsequently described the attack as "barbaric".

Yates has consistently pleaded his innocence, while Scottish have demanded the culprit be banned for at least 12 months.

An RFU statement said: "The RFU has announced today that its disciplinary panel, which met this evening, has completed hearing the evidence connected to the citing of Kevin Yates by London Scottish.

"A provisional date for the next hearing has been set for the evening of Monday, February 9th. Final statements will be submitted to the panel by the counsel for London Scottish and Kevin Yates after which the panel will give its verdict.

"The location for the hearing has not been finalised but will not be disclosed. The same panel of chairman Michael Burton, QC, Jonathan Dance and Brian Baister will be present and a further press statement will be issued at the conclusion of the hearing."