Owen Farrell: England rugby captain to miss first two World Cup games as World Rugby red card appeal upheld

Owen Farrell has received a four-game ban from an independent disciplinary panel and is now set to miss England’s first two Rugby World Cup matches against Argentina and Japan as well as this month’s warm-up games against Ireland and Fiji.

World Rugby had appealed the decision a disciplinary panel took to downgrade Farrell’s red card to a yellow for a high tackle against Wales at Twickenham. Farrell ran into Taine Basham’s head, causing the Wales flanker to fail an HIA.

The original disciplinary hearing firstly cleared Farrell, finding mitigation in a late change in dynamics by Basham but a subsequent outcry then saw World Rugby to appeal. 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 new bunker review system’s analysis when upgrading from yellow to red.

It was therefore decided to hear the case again and after a video hearing which began at 7.30am and finished in the early evening, it was deemed the sending-off was the right outcome because the hit on Basham was “always illegal”.

What’s been said?

A statement from Six Nations Rugby said: “The Appeal Committee unanimously determined that in the original hearing the Disciplinary Committee should have considered the attempt of the player to wrap his opponent in the tackle. This point did not feature in the original decision.

“As this element did not feature in the original decision, the Appeal Committee decided it was in the interests of justice to hear the case afresh on that key point alone, which included hearing from the player.”

Both Farrell’s coach, Steve Borthwick, and Andy Farrell, Owen’s father and Ireland coach, slammed the disciplinary process and criticised World Rugby’s decision to appeal.

When is the World Cup?

England’s World Cup adventure begins on Saturday 9 September in Franceand Borthwick will also face another anxious wait over the fate of the only specialist number 8 in his World Cup squad Billy Vunipola who received a red card in Saturday’s loss in Ireland,

Vunipola could miss several of England’s early games if the decision is upheld and the verdict from his hearing is expected on Wednesday (23 August).