England captain Dylan Hartley will be available for the start of his side's Six Nations title defence after receiving a six week ban.
Hartley was red-carded for striking Sean O'Brien during Leinster's European Champions Cup victory over Northampton.
The 30-year-old lasted under 10 minutes on the field of play after coming on as a substitute and was given punishment because of his poor disciplinary record.
The strike was adjudged to have been a 'mid-range offence' by a disciplinary committee. He was given an additional two weeks for his record but had one week stricken for a guilty plea.
He'll be out until the January 23rd - with England's opening Six Nations match with France coming nearly two weeks later.
Hartley has now accumulated 60 weeks worth of bans over the course of his professional career.
RFU's Chief Exec Ian Ritchie “I think Dylan’s got credit in the bank. We’ve had 13 wins out of 13 and Dylan has made a huge contribution"
— Joe Molloy (@MolloyJoe) December 14, 2016
