They told they RFU today they wanted to look again at the ban imposed on Best for illegally making contact with the eye or eye area of London Wasps' James Haskell with his hand during the Guinness Premiership match on September 20.

The appeal will be heard by a RFU panel on Monday in London.

Best, who cannot be selected by Saints until the final determination of the appeal, will miss eight rounds of Premiership action, plus all of Northampton's European Challenge Cup and EDF Energy Cup pool matches and Ireland's autumn schedule under the current ban.

He had been called before the panel by Premiership citing officer Ken Pattinson following Saints' 24-20 victory over Wasps at Franklin's Gardens.

Haskell gave evidence before the panel, confirming his written statement made after the game that the player "gratuitously commenced to gouge at (his) eye with increasing intensity".

The Wasps man, a contender to captain England in their autumn Tests next month, said his vision became increasingly blurred, he suffered excruciating pain and felt physically sick because of soreness.

He was later taken to Northampton General Hospital, where an ophthalmologist diagnosed a corneal abrasion and prescribed antibiotic drops.

Photographs taken a day after the game showed significant swelling around Haskell's eye, which was closed and bruised, with a one-centimetre scratch on his upper eyelid.

Best, whose Saints team-mate Dylan Hartley received a six-month suspension for eye-gouging last year, told the panel he had acted recklessly, and not deliberately.

The panel said it accepted Best had not intentionally searched for Haskell's eye and did not intend to inflict serious injury, but he had tried to grab somewhere on his head to pull him up and backwards.

But they did not agree with Best's account that contact with the eye was "fleeting".

Best, 29, joined Northampton from Ulster this summer. During a professional career of more than 150 games he had never previously been cited.

In their written judgement, the panel said: "The nature of the player's actions was grave.

"Placing fingers in and around opponents' eyes constitutes one of the most serious offences in the game because of the risk of permanent, career-ending damage.

"Contact was clearly painful and caused significant injury, continuing distress and some mental anguish to Haskell, who initially feared first for his sight and subsequently that he may not be able to play again."

After imposing an 18-week ban, the panel added: "In reaching this conclusion, the panel has taken into consideration the fact that this offence was entirely out of character and will be a significant blemish on his record.

"We also took into account the damaging effect this will have on the player's club and international playing career, and the risk that he will suffer financial loss.

"The panel is satisfied that this is commensurate and proportionate with the seriousness of the offence."