White unlikely to appeal against eight-week ban

England and Lions prop Julian White is counting the cost of his latest brush with rugby authority – an eight-week ban.

The Leicester forward is sidelined until December 12 after being sent off for punching during Tigers’ 16-16 Guinness Premiership draw against Newcastle last Friday.

White will miss Leicester’s first three Heineken Cup games – against Clermont Auvergne, Stade Francais and the Ospreys – plus Premiership appointments with Worcester, Gloucester, Sale Sharks and London Irish next month, and a Powergen Cup tie against Northampton.

Tigers have until tonight to decide on an appeal, but it would appear unlikely considering that White could conceivably have landed a heftier suspension, given his poor disciplinary record.

The 28 times-capped World Cup winner, who started all three Tests for the Lions in New Zealand this summer, pleaded guilty to a charge of punching Falcons lock Andy Perry when he appeared before Rugby Football Union disciplinary chiefs in Coventry last night.

Leicester suspended White with immediate effect following the Newcastle clash, and White’s RFU ban was back-dated to last Friday as a result. Tigers though, will be fuming his latest indiscretion has ruled him out of so many key games.

In terms of immediate international career prospects, White had already been omitted from England’s 30-man autumn Test squad, which was announced last month by head coach Andy Robinson.

Perry, who was also sent off by leading English referee Tony Spreadbury, received a four-week ban after being found guilty of striking White with his head during the 50th-minute fight.

But the three-man panel accepted that Perry’s offence was committed under extreme provocation and in self-defence, supporting Newcastle’s theory.

Falcons had claimed 30-year-old former Marine Perry, who joined them from Plymouth earlier this year, was acting in self-defence before being dismissed.

He was found guilty though, and suspended until November 16, ruling him out of European Challenge Cup games against Brive and Borders, plus Premiership appointments with Gloucester and London Irish.

Newcastle’s appeal deadline is also tonight, and like White, Perry was ordered to pay £250 costs towards the hearing.