RFU accept Leicester's one-week ban for Youngs

England scrum-half Ben Youngs will face no further punishment for hitting an opponent after a Rugby Football Union disciplinary panel accepted Leicester's decision to ban him for a week. Youngs missed Friday's victory over Worcester as a result of his internal ban but the RFU's decision means he is free to play from Thursday and will be available for the remainder of the Tigers' Premiership campaign. It also means Youngs is available for England's three-Test tour of South Africa starting in June. Youngs pleaded guilty to striking London Irish No 8 Jamie Gibson during the Tigers' 41-32 away win at the Madejski Stadium on March 25 after he appeared to drop his knee onto the forward before punching him. But shortly after the RFU issued a statement last Wednesday saying he had been cited, Leicester announced they had banned Youngs for one week after an internal club review. And a panel chaired by RFU disciplinary officer Judge Jeff Blackett said Monday they saw no need for additional action. A statement issued on the panel's behalf confirmed Youngs had been formally banned by the RFU from Wednesday, March 28 (the date of Leicester's internal suspension) to Wednesday, April 4. He can play again on Thursday, April 5. Judge Blackett said: "We decided that the offence was at the low end of seriousness, which carries an entry point of three weeks. There were no aggravating features and on the basis of his good record this was reduced by 50 percent." He added: "There was a compelling mitigating factor in that the player was being held down unlawfully for a substantial period and so we reduced the suspension further to one week. We would like to thank Leicester for their responsible attitude towards this case." The minimum suspension Youngs could have received if found guilty would be the low-end entry point of two weeks, while the high-end entry point is a ban of 12 weeks or more. But instead he can now focus on helping Leicester, third in the table, reach an eighth successive Premiership final. Leicester don't have a fixture this weekend as they are not in their quarter-finals of either the European Cup or European Challenge Cup. Their next match is a Premiership clash away to Midlands rivals Northampton on April 14.