George Williams: England captain out of first two Tonga Tests after ban extended
- Published
George Williams took over as England captain from Sam Tomkins earlier this year
England captain George Williams will miss the first two Tests against Tonga having been given an extended ban following Warrington's play-off defeat by St Helens.
Williams was initially given a one-game ban on Monday for a shoulder charge.
But having pleaded guilty to a Grade B charge, he then challenged the grading.
The independent Operational Rules Tribunal rejected the challenge and deemed it frivolous, leading to the ban being doubled to two games.
The Warrington scrum-half succeeded his former Wigan Warriors team-mate Sam Tomkins as England captain in April 2023, after Tomkins stepped down following last year's World Cup.
Meanwhile, St Helens prop Matty Lees also challenged the grading of a similar Grade B shoulder charge and had his appeal upheld by the tribunal.
He will now be eligible to face Tonga in the first Test at St Helens' Totally Wicked Stadium on 22 October.
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