RANKED | The definitive list of England's most-banned players

England flanker Back was in big trouble from the moment he pushed referee Steve Lander to the ground on the final whistle of Leicester’s 1996 Pilkington Cup final defeat against Bath. He maintained he had mistaken Lander for Bath back-rower Andy Robinson, but it didn’t wash and he was handed a six month ban. In 2005, he picked up a four-week ban for punching Wasps’ Joe Worsley in the Zurich Grand Final.

This one still makes me wince. Northampton flanker Clark was found guilty of intentionally hyper-extending and breaking the arm of Leicester hooker Rob Hawkins during the 2012 LV cup final. The ban was initially for 64 weeks, but was halved due to his guilty plea.

Take a deep breath. In April 2007, the Northampton hooker was banned for 26 weeks for gouging Wasps duo James Haskell and Jonny O’Connor.

In March 2012, he was suspended for eight weeks for biting Ireland flanker Stephen Ferris while on England duty at Twickenham. In December 2012, he was handed a two-week ban for striking Ulster’s Rory Best.

In May 2013, he was suspended for 11 weeks for abusing referee Wayne Barnes during the Saints’ Premiership final defeat to Leicester, missing the Lions tour of Australia as a result.

In December 2014, he was banned for three weeks for elbowing Tigers wing Matt Smith, and then in May of this year he was suspended for four weeks for butting his Saracens opposite number Jamie George, which led to him being dropped from England’s World Cup plans.

In December 2016, he was banned for 6 weeks having caught Leinster Rugby player Sean O'Brien with a swinging arm to the back of the head in a European Champions' Cup game

A colourful character, whose singing ability saw him appear on a celebrity version of X Factor, the Durban-born prop made a great success of his move from South Africa, playing for both England and the Lions. But in February 2009, things came crashing down when he was banned for two years after testing positive for cocaine following Bath’s Heineken Cup match against Glasgow a couple of months earlier. Managed to rebuild his career on his return to the game and went on a second Lions tour in 2013.

The England internationals ban came as a coach rather than a player. It all began with the purchase of fake blood capsules from a joke shop in Clapham and ended with Harlequins coach Richards being banned for three years for his role in the Bloodgate saga which erupted after Quins wing Tom Williams came off with a fake blood injury against Leinster in 2009.