D-day for England - Sport in brief - Evening Standard
       

D-day for England

England should discover on Tuesday whether Phil Vickery and Jonny Wilkinson will be available for the World Cup showdown against South Africa.

Captain Vickery's disciplinary hearing is set to take place in Paris after he was cited for kicking USA centre Paul Emerick during last Saturday's 28-10 victory.

England, meanwhile, have promised a fitness bulletin on fly-half star Wilkinson, who suffered an ankle ligament sprain during training last week.

Head coach Brian Ashton plans to announce his starting line-up on Tuesday.

If found guilty, then Vickery, who would have 48 hours in which to make an appeal and has said there was no malice intended in the challenge, could find himself sitting out the Springboks clash.

His availability for further pool games against Samoa and Tonga later this month would also be in doubt.

A four-week ban at the lower end of the scale is recommended under International Rugby Board regulations for kicking.

Vickery is set to appear before World Cup-appointed judicial officer Professor Lorne Crerar, with the England squad's legal representative Richard Smith QC accompanying him.

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