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England captain Owen Farrell is set to be available for their Six Nations opener with Scotland despite a four-week ban for a dangerous tackle.<\/span><\/p>\n His ban will be reduced to three weeks if he completes the World Rugby coaching intervention programme.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n That would allow him to be picked by new England boss Steve Borthwick to face Scotland on 4 February.<\/span><\/p>\n Farrell was cited<\/span><\/a> after making contact with Gloucester forward Jack Clement’s head with his shoulder on Friday.<\/span><\/p>\n The 31-year-old will definitely miss Saracens’ European games with Lyon and Edinburgh and the Premiership trip to Bristol. <\/span><\/p>\n Provided he completes the necessary intervention programme the final week of his ban will be disregarded. <\/span><\/p>\n It gives some relief to new England head coach Steve Borthwick, with fly-halves Marcus Smith and George Ford both out injured.<\/span><\/p>\n The offence – which Farrell admitted to – was deemed to be at the mid-range of dangerous tackles and attracted a six-week ban as a starting point. <\/span><\/p>\n He was given two weeks’ mitigation for his early admission of the charge and “exemplary” conduct during the hearing.<\/span><\/p>\n “The panel accepts that the player thought he had struck the chest of his opponent but in our view the footage confirms he was wrong,” Farrell’s disciplinary report said.<\/span><\/p>\n “We acknowledge there was no injury to the opposition player and have taken this into account in our decision.<\/span><\/p>\n “We do not however think that this affects our conclusion that a high degree of danger existed.”<\/span><\/p>\n