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World Rugby urged to intervene after Owen Farrell’s red card against Wales was overturned

16 Aug 2023 3 minute read
England’s Owen Farrell squares up to Dan Biggar after the hit. Photo Joe Giddens PA Images

World Rugby has come under pressure to act after Owen Farrell’s red card against Wales was overturned in a decision that has caused uproar across the game.

Farrell was sent off in the second half of Saturday’s 19-17 victory at Twickenham after his yellow card for a shoulder-led tackle to the head of Taine Basham was upgraded to a red by the bunker review system.

While the England captain was expected to face a ban that would rule him out of the start of the World Cup, a disciplinary hearing instead concluded that the offence was worthy of a sin-binning only, clearing him to play.

Six Nations, who oversee the warm-up fixtures, have a policy of not publishing written judgements, but are facing calls to make the detailed reasoning behind the independent panel’s decision public.

They have the power to appeal the verdict and so do World Rugby, who will examine the report before making a decision.

Progressive Rugby, a player welfare lobby group, believe the sport’s global governing body must intervene.

“World Rugby must emerge from its corporate bubble of stakeholder management and delegated responsibility to bare its teeth,” Progressive Rugby said on Twitter.

“For it to demonstrate it WON’T stand still on player welfare, that it IS the game’s number one priority and that they won’t tolerate being undermined.”

The all-Australian panel came to its verdict after finding that Basham’s direction of travel was altered by an attempted tackle by Jamie George just before Farrell made his challenge.

One of the questions arising from the case which would be clarified in the written judgement is why this was used as mitigation when World Rugby’s guidelines state mitigation does not apply for “always-illegal acts of foul play”.

France assistant coach Shaun Edwards, former England wing Chris Ashton and Australia’s ex-England boss Eddie Jones are the few voices offering support for Farrell, who has missed a total of 10 matches after being banned for dangerous tackling in three separate incidents.

Laughing stock

Meanwhile Sir Clive Woodward, England’s 2003 World Cup-winning head coach, said the failure to suspend the Saracens fly-half has “made the game a complete and utter laughing stock”.

Farrell is available for England’s third Summer Nations Series match against Ireland in Dublin on Saturday but, given the furore surrounding their skipper, he is unlikely to be included in the starting XV when it is named on Thursday.

Former England women flanker Maggie Alphonsi fears that rescinding the red card will create a series of problems, including for the bunker review system which is currently being trialled and has yet to be confirmed for the World Cup.

“Baffled by this discussion. It undermines the Review Process and does not do rugby any favours in trying to stamp out dangerous tackles & protecting players,” Alphonsi posted on X, formerly known as Twitter.

“This outcome is only going to blur the lines between red & yellow card decisions and lose trust in the judiciary process.”


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Dai Rob
Dai Rob
1 year ago

Rugby is SO corrupt.
Public schoolboys still running the game.

Frank
Frank
1 year ago
Reply to  Dai Rob

Do you mean English rugby?

Y Cymro
Y Cymro
1 year ago
Reply to  Frank

Here, here. Touche! 🤝

Frank
Frank
1 year ago
Reply to  Dai Rob

Do you mean English rugby? No other nation would get away with it!! Their motto is: If you cannot win fairly….. be brutal and cheat!!

David Pearn
David Pearn
1 year ago
Reply to  Frank

My thoughts exactly when I heard the verdict ridiculous to say the least.

Y Cymro
Y Cymro
1 year ago

The WRU should appeal this highly dubious decision. And where cheapshot specialist Owen Farrell gets his daddy & RFU to get him off his red card charge, which means this big baby can play against Ireland and upcoming World Cup, Taine Basham will miss the game against South Africa next Saturday and could be out for 7 weeks due to his failed head injury assessment thanks to the corrupt RFU who are still full of old farts and the so-called “independent” judicial committee who no doubt will be rewarded in kind.

Dai Bach
Dai Bach
1 year ago
Reply to  Y Cymro

Everyone who’s ever played rugby knows what a coward Owen Farrell is. the Cheap shot specialist has served three bans already for the same offence. His RFU nursemaids are as much to blame with that lame (clutching at straws)reason for letting him off. Disgusting

Riki
Riki
1 year ago

They are all cheats or propped up for different reasons. New Zealand because they are the face of Rugby, England and France because of populations and Ireland because of World rugby wanting to go mainstream in America. How Ireland, Scotland and France are above Wales in the rankings is a joke to be honest. Yes, they are currently better in terms of Form, but surely History should count for something, how can a team who haven’t won a title since 1999 be above a team that have gone further in every World Cup they have played in since that year… Read more »

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