Austin Healey, Leicester and England scrum-half, will miss the entire Five Nations after being banned by an RFU disciplinary panel for eight weeks last night. Healey was cited by London Irish after he had stamped on the face of Kevin Putt during their league match three weeks ago.

Leicester imposed a ban of three weeks on their player, but the RFU have topped up his club suspension by a further five weeks.

Healey is sidelined until April 10th, with England playing Wales at Wembley the following day.

Without serious match practice, it looks impossible for Clive Woodward to consider a priceless player who can appear on the wing or at scrum-half.

Healey, capped 18 times, was found guilty of "a very reckless stamp."

But the RFU panel decided that he "had not wilfully stamped during leaders Leicester's game last month".

Healey comes in under the normal ban for stamping on a head which is 12 weeks, but his suspension is double that imposed on Bath's Kevin Yates for a similar recent stamping episode.

Leicester slapped a three-week ban on Healey, which is now ended, but the club suspension took in two international weekends, one cup tie - which Leicester ultimately lost - and significantly no Premiership matches.

Healey was accompanied by Leicester chief executive Peter Wheeler, coach Dean Richards and club captain Martin Johnson.

They left the East India Club in St James' Square, London, without comment.

The only good news was that Johnson's appeal against a white card for a technical offence during Tigers' cup defeat at Richmond 10 days ago was upheld.

London Irish boss Dick Best declined to comment on the verdict, saying only: "We took our action to cite Healey and when we did that we passed the entire issue over to the RFU."