England winger Mark Cueto has been cited for gouging, potentially throwing into doubt any hopes he has of taking part in the Rugby World Cup in September.

Cueto was cited by the Rugby Football Union for "making contact with the eye or eye area" of Northampton's Christian Day during Sale's English Premiership match on April 2 which they lost 53-24.

The 31-year-old will appear before an RFU Disciplinary Panel on April 11 to answer a charge that carries a minimum ban of 12 weeks.

While that would severely hinder his preparations ahead of the World Cup, the RFU also have scope to ban Cueto for more than 24 weeks if found guilty of a top-end offence.

The World Cup begins in New Zealand on September 9, meaning a long-term ban could potentially rule him out of the tournament.

Northampton hooker Dylan Hartley missed the previous World Cup in 2007 after he was banned for 26 weeks after being found guilty of a similar offence.

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