Heineken Cup

Ulster's Afoa cited for dangerous tackle

ESPNscrum Staff

Ulster prop John Afoa has been cited for a dangerous tackle in the wake of their Heineken Cup victory over Munster, throwing into doubt his participation in their Lansdowne Road semi-final against Edinburgh.

The former All Black will appear before independent judicial officer Jean-Noel Couraud in Dublin on Thursday. The alleged incident occurred 46 minutes into Ulster's 22-16 victory over Munster at Thomond Park on Sunday.

If Afoa is found guilty, International Rugby Board (IRB) guidelines state that the minimum entry level suspension for a dangerous tackle is three weeks. Ulster's semi-final showdown with Edinburgh is on April 28.

Ulster's prized victory in Limerick has given them hope of a second European success, after the class of 1999, but scrum-half Ruan Pienaar is keen to keep a lid on expectations.

"We believe we can go all the way, but we have to stay humble," he said. "We still have a lot of hard work left to do before the semi and hopefully we'll get the result.

"Obviously, we know quite a bit about Edinburgh, and it was a really great performance by them to beat Toulouse, so it's going to be a tough battle for us.

"It was a fantastic victory over Munster and we've had our celebrations, so in a way it's forgotten and we've got to move on now. It's special to win at Thomond Park, but in the context of the tournament, we haven't achieved anything yet."

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