Hartley set to discover punishment with Six Nations opener in the balance

The 30-year-old has been charged with striking.

Dylan Hartley will discover this afternoon whether he will be available to lead England into next year's RBS 6 Nations.

Hartley appears before an independent disciplinary hearing in London to learn the length of the suspension he must serve after being sent off for landing a swinging arm on the head of Sean O'Brien in Northampton's defeat by Leinster on Friday night.