Chris Ashton: Worcester winger gets six-game suspension for dangerous play

Chris Ashton scored his first try for Worcester in the game, which his side went on to lose 62-14

Worcester's former England winger Chris Ashton has been banned for six matches after being found guilty of dangerous play in his side's loss to Northampton.

The 34-year-old contested the 49th-minute red card but the charge was found proven by an independent panel.

Bath pair Tom Dunn and Will Muir also received bans for red cards against London Irish last week.

Dunn got three weeks for striking with the elbow and Muir two weeks for tackling a player in the air.

Ashton was sent off for a no-arms hit on Saints full-back Tommy Freeman in a ruck at Sixways on Saturday.

His previous poor disciplinary record counted against him with the panel increasing the starting point for the offence from six to seven weeks.

In 2016 Ashton was banned for 13 weeks for biting an opponent and two years later he received a seven-week ban for an illegal tip-tackle.

"The player accepted that he had committed an act of foul play but challenged the red card on the basis that he had not made direct contact to the head of his opponent," the panel said.

"Any player choosing to contest a red card must prove on the balance of probabilities that the referee's decision to award a red card was wrong.

"The panel took account of all the evidence with which it had been provided and could not be satisfied that the referee's decision had been wrong."

Ashton will miss a friendly game with Bristol on 10 April followed by Premiership fixtures against Harlequins, Sale, Exeter, Wasps and Leicester. He will be free to return against Newcastle on 4 June.