CHRIS FOY: Rugby's core values are a sad joke after Farrell decision

CHRIS FOY: Owen Farrell was seen as guilty-as-charged but rugby’s core values are now a sad joke and the game’s disciplinary system is in ruins after his red card was rescinded

• Owen Farrell is free to play at the World Cup after his red card was rescinded 
• It had been expected that Farrell would miss the early stages of the tournament
• The decision to let Farrell off creates a divide in the sport that wasn’t needed

It didn’t take long for the derision floodgates to open. Within an hour of the announcement which united the rugby world in outrage, a picture of Donald Trump started circulating on social media.

The former President of the United States, who is facing serious charges relating to his time in the Oval Office, was shown looking stern, holding a telephone. The caption read: ‘Get me Owen Farrell’s legal team.’

Amid the global rush to condemn the shocking disciplinary decision, a scene from the comedy series Blackadder Goes Forth came to mind. Blackadder is in prison and set to face a firing squad, but tells the guard that he has contacted a famed lawyer – Bob Massingbird – who he hopes will be able to engineer a reprieve.

Explaining his optimism, he says: ‘I remember Massingbird’s most famous case – the case of the bloody knife. A man was found next to a murdered body. He had the knife in his hand, 13 witnesses had seen him stab the victim, and when the Police arrived, he said, “I’m glad I killed the b*****d”.

‘Massingbird not only got him off, he got him knighted in the New Year’s honours list, and the relatives of the victim had to pay to have the blood washed out of his jacket.’

Owen Farrell’s red card for a high shot on Taine Basham during England’s win over Wales was rescinded on Tuesday

The thought that the England captain might be exonerated wasn’t even contemplated

This is real-life sport, not light-hearted fiction, but the point is that Farrell was universally viewed as being guilty as charged. 

Any suggestion that he might be exonerated wasn’t even contemplated. There was an assumption that the England captain would be banned for his high tackle on Taine Basham, at Twickenham last Saturday – which left the Wales back-rower groggy and unable to return to the field after failing a Head Injury Assessment.

There was no hint of any simmering injustice within the national squad. Farrell himself had sat in the sin-bin area with a resigned look on his face. When told his yellow card had been upgraded to red, he rose and walked off down the tunnel without any fuss. 

Perhaps he had done well to keep a lid on his angst, or maybe there was none, because he knew he was bang to rights. And over the next few days, complaints about the match-day judgements were either scarce of non-existent.

Now this. The game is convulsing in protest. Players from other countries are incensed that they are being harshly sanctioned for dangerous tackles, but Farrell has been let off. 

Tonga’s former All Black centre George Moala has been hit with a 10-week suspension for a tip tackle against Canada, so it was no wonder that his team-mates and others were openly raging on social media on Tuesday night.

This creates a divide that the sport doesn’t need; an uncomfortable feeling of a two-tier, them-and-us application of the laws. So many leading rugby figures made contact to express disbelief, with one former international coach just settling for ‘WTF (What the f**k)’ while a former Test player noted how a Pacific island player with ‘previous’ would have been banned for 10-12 weeks.

A World Cup is just three weeks away and the game’s disciplinary system is in ruin. Trust has gone, along with any lingering notion of fairness. Whatever rulings follow in the weeks ahead, they will be dissected and derided, with this in mind. As for rugby’s so-called core values, they are now a sad joke. The authorities should be forced to stop claiming that the sport resides on any sort of moral high ground.

Players from other countries are furious they have been harshly sanctioned for tackles while Farrell has been let off 

Tonga’s George Moala (pictured playing for Clermont) was given a 10-week suspension for a tip tackle so it was no wonder his team-mates and others raged on social media 

The most serious aspect of all this is what it means for the priority issue; the protection of players and the battle against the scourge of concussion-related health problems. As Progressive Rugby – who lobby for better safety standards – issued a damning verdict on the decision of the judicial panel, the RFU were possibly starting to grasp how this is both good and bad news for them.

On the surface, they will be delighted that their investment in legal expertise has ensured that the England captain is available for the start of the World Cup, in defiance of all expectations. But they also know that what awaits them is a ferocious backlash from the community game, who are being told to oversee a cultural overhaul, so that amateur players adhere to strict new tackling guidelines.

In fact, that backlash has already begun. So many unpaid coaches and players across the country are irate about being warned to go low or else, when that edict does not apply to Farrell.

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