Northampton boss Jim Mallinder claimed Leicester’s England midfield prospect Manu Tuilagi should have been sent off as Saints’ Aviva Premiership Rugby title dream died at Welford Road. Tigers centre Tuilagi escaped with a yellow card after punching Northampton’s England wing Chris Ashton eight minutes before half-time. Ashton, who required treatment as a result, was also sin-binned after an incident that reflected a game that rarely dipped below boiling point. Tigers wing Alesana Tuilagi’s late try confirmed a seventh successive Aviva Premiership Rugby final appearance for Leicester. They will meet Saracens or Gloucester at Twickenham on May 28th. But the 11-3 defeat left Mallinder questioning the decision not to send off 19-year-old Tuilagi junior. He said: “First of all, you can’t have players taking players out, and you can’t be hitting players directly to the head, punching. Chris Ashton did go over and give him a push, but you cannot react with three punches to the head without a red card. “It would have had an effect on the game, because they would have been down to 14 men. But Leicester played well in the second half – it is fine lines. “I think the referee did go to his assistant. All I know is I have seen it, and to me, it is a clear red card. “It’s a big game, live on television and it should be one of the highlights of the Premiership season. I guess the referees and referees’ assessors will have a real good look at it and work as hard as they can to make sure …
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