Julian White’s hopes of making a second successive Lions tour have been given a boost after he was banned for just two weeks for punching.
The Leicester and England prop had faced a possible two-month suspension after being cited for striking fellow 2005 Lion Andrew Sheridan during a Guinness Premiership encounter last weekend.
A two-month ban would have ruled White out of the remainder of his club’s season and left him unavailable for the start of this summer’s Lions tour of South Africa.
Instead, White escaped with a low-end suspension and can return to action on Tuesday April 21, the day Ian McGeechan names his touring party for the forthcoming series against the Springboks.
White will miss Saturday’s Heineken Cup quarter-final against Bath and the Premiership trip to Saracens on April 19 but will be available for selection with Leicester just under six weeks before the Lions play their first game in South Africa.
