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13th December 2016
11:20am GMT

'Under World Rugby's Sanctions for Foul Play, Law 10.4 (a), Striking a player with a hand, arm or fist carries the following sanction entry points - Low End: 2 weeks; Mid-Range: 5 weeks; Top End: 8 to 52 weeks.'It is unclear whether or not Hartley will plead guilty or contest the citing but coming clean and apologising usually goes down better in these hearings. Given that Hartley has been banned on seven previous occasions, for a range of misdemeanours including gouging, elbowing, biting fingers and head-butting, and the damage his hit did to O'Brien, one hopes that low-end is out the window. If not, World Rugby would need to review its laws and suspensions. Even if Hartley is found guilty of a top-end offence, players have often been able to get a ban reduced by good conduct at a hearing, expressing remorse and by trying to contact the injured party with an apology. However, as Brian O'Driscoll told SportsJOE, bans and sanctions may mean nothing to Hartley. "When someone has been banned for a seventh time," he said "I don't know what you're supposed to do to prevent him being banned for an eighth time."
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