Farrell decision savaged by stars and ex-World Rugby vice-chairman

Owen Farrell decision savaged by host of rugby stars and ex-World Rugby vice-chairman as players point out Tonga player George Moala has been banned for 10 weeks for his tackle while England captain escapes suspension

  • Owen Farrell was astonishingly cleared following red card for his high tackle
  • George Moala, the Tongan centre, is banned for World Cup after tip tackle
  • International stars pointed out the glaring holes in rugby’s disciplinary process 

The international rugby community is almost unanimously in uproar at the decision to clear Owen Farrell after his high tackle and red card against Wales. 

The England captain is free to play at the World Cup after a disciplinary committee ruled that Jamie George had pushed Taine Basham, who was then hit by Farrell’s shoulder in England’s warm-up win at Twickenham.

It is a decision that has confounded the rugby community – including Mail Sport’s rugby journalists – and the backlash is gathering momentum, with plenty of international stars and even ex-World Rugby vice chairman Agustin Pichot weighing in. 

Many of them point out that Tonga’s George Moala has been served with a 10-week suspension for a tip-tackle against Canada, ruling him out of the World Cup. 

They feel the rugby disciplinary process is not fit for purpose and many labelled the Farrell decision in particular, ‘a joke’. 

Owen Farrell was given a red card for this tackle but not banned for any matches

Many fans and ex players pointed out the problem with rugby’s disciplinary system

Instagram page ‘Rugbyhighlights15 shared a mocked up image of Farrell’s high tackle with the words ‘no ban’ over it and Moala’s with ’10 week ban’. 

 Australian star Joe Tomane and Samu Kerevi liked the post, along with New Zealand’s Shannon Frizzell and Tongan duo Ben Tameifuna and Malakai Fekitoa. 

Lima Sopoaga replied to video of Moala’s tackle, writing: Ten weeks for this though. Seems fair considering the bans handed out at the minute. Oh wait…’

Former Bath, Clermont Auvergne and England full-back Nick Abendanon wrote: ‘Absolute mockery of the game #freeGeorge.’

Tongan flanker Vaea Fifita encouraged World Rugby to ‘treat everyone the same’, with the nation’s captain Sonatane Takulua posting six question marks under the news of Farrell getting off. 

Farrell was widely expected to be ruled out of at least a chunk of the World Cup but the decision was overturned following a three-hour hearing with representation from a top barrister.

His reprieve was greeted by uproar in the rugby world, with Sir Clive Woodward branding the game a ‘laughing stock’.

After his case was heard by an all Australian panel, Farrell, who has served three previous bans for dangerous tackling, was cleared to play in this weekend’s game against Ireland in Dublin.

Moala on the other hand, was guilty of a different kind of tackle, lifting his opponent beyond the horizontal and then releasing him, letting him fall dangerously on the ground. 

While the two tackles were different, the fact that there was 10 weeks difference in the punishment strikes at the heart of the inconsistency and opaque disciplinary process many fans and players have raged at. 

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