Butch James cited for shoulder charge on Fardy

Lions fly half Butch James has been cited for a dangerous shoulder charge on Brumbies forward Scott Fardy in the Lions 20-34 to the Brumbies on Friday.

James is alleged to have contravened Law 10.4 (h) A player must not charge into a ruck or maul. Charging includes any contact made without use of the arms, or without grasping that player.

James charged into a ruck near the Brumbies Goal Line and made contact with Brumbies player Scott Fardy after a penalty had been blown to the Lions in the 63rd minute of the match.

The Referee for the match Keith Brown penalised the incident and after discussion with his Assistant Referee, issued a Yellow and White Card to Butch James.

Upon further review of the match footage the Citing Commissioner deemed in his opinion the incident had met the Red Card threshold for foul play

The Citing is to be considered in the first instance by SANZAR Duty Judicial Officer Mike Heron.

James has a long reputation for shoulder charging so he can expect a lengthy spell on the sidelines if found guilty.