ENGLAND prop Jason Leonard has escaped punishment and is cleared to win his 49th cap at Twickenham on Saturday week against Ireland after being found not guilty of punching Scotland captain Rob Wainwright.

Leonard, 27, captain of Harlequins, appeared before a Five Nations hearing run by French Federation official Marcel Martin after being cited by the Scotland management for what they alleged was foul play against Wainwright.

But, with Leonard pleading not guilty, Martin - after extensive examination of the video film - decided that the evidence was inconclusive.

The Scottish Rugby Union spokesman, Charlie Laidlaw said: "The SRU did not reach its decision to cite lightly and, in the union's view, the weight of evidence is that Jason Leonard was guilty of foul play."