Thirteen Barbarians players have been charged by the Rugby Football Union after Sunday’s game against England was cancelled because of coronavirus protocol breaches.
Players face a range of charges including “individual breaches of the protocols” and “providing false statements during an investigation”, the RFU said.
English rugby union’s governing body said it would only publish players’ names after the hearings because of the public scrutiny they faced.
But BBC Sport can reveal that former England captain Chris Robshaw, who was among the players who apologised for the breach, is one of the players charged.
Richard Wigglesworth, Sean Maitland, Jackson Wray, Manu Vunipola, Tim Swinson, Calum Clark, Tom de Glanville, Joel Kpoku, Simon Kerrod, Fergus McFadden, Juan Pablo Socino and Alex Lewington are the other players charged.
It is not clear which charges relate to which players.
The RFU said that breaches of protocols included leaving the hotel without permission or without informing organisers of their whereabouts.
The players left their hotel bubble – contrary to team protocols – to have dinner, and a number of players also went to a central London pub.
Players may face fines, match bans “or any other suitable sanction”, but there will be no police investigation into their actions.
The game’s cancellation means England go into their final Six Nations fixture against Italy on Saturday having not played a competitive match since March.
Article courtesy of BBC Sport
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