OWEN FARRELL WILL miss the start of the World Cup after the England captain was banned for four matches by an appeal committee for his dangerous tackle against Wales.
Farrell will be unavailable for the crucial Pool D matches against Argentina and Japan, with this month’s warm-up games against Ireland and Fiji also included in the suspension.
World Rugby had appealed against the decision of a disciplinary panel to downgrade Farrell’s red card for a high tackle at Twickenham on 12 August to yellow.
A furious outcry greeted the verdict that the Saracens fly-half’s shoulder-led challenge to Taine Basham’s head, which caused the Wales flanker to fail an HIA, was a sin-binning offence only.
The appeal committee found that the original hearing had not considered Farrell’s failure to wrap when attempting the tackle, which had formed a key part of the bunker review system’s analysis when upgrading from yellow to red.
On this basis it was decided to hear the case afresh, and after a video hearing that began at 7.30am and finished early evening, it was decided that a sending-off was the right outcome because the hit on Basham was ‘always illegal’.
The Appeal Committee agreed that last weekend’s World Cup warm-up game against Ireland, which Farrell voluntarily sat out, should be included as the first match of his four-match ban, ruling him out of England’s final tune-up against Fiji and their first two pool matches.
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