16 August 2023 , 07:44
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Rugby Union chiefs are facing urgent calls to appeal against the “shocking” decision to overturn Owen Farrell’s red card for dangerous play and clear him for an immediate return to action.
The England captain was widely expected to be banned for up to six weeks for his shoulder-to-head shot which knocked Wales forward Taine Basham out of Saturday’s Twickenham clash.
Instead, an all-Australian independent disciplinary committee stunned the sport by ruling the officials had been wrong to upgrade the yellow card to red and cleared Farrell.
They ruled that team mate Jamie George’s “interaction” in the contact area had brought about a “sudden and significant change in direction from the ball carrier”.
The verdict was greeted with widespread disbelief given head injuries pose an existential threat to the game’s future.
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Wales star Alix Popham, diagnosed with early onset dementia in 2020 and one of more than 200 former players involved in a lawsuit against the game’s authorities, branded it “shocking”.
Orthopaedic surgeon Prof John Fairclough said it was a terrible day both for player safety and the future of the game, making “a mockery of World Rugby’s claim that player welfare is the game’s number one priority”.
Inside the England camp fly-half George Ford told the BBC: “It’s great for us in terms of having our captain and leader back in and getting away with.. obviously going through the process.”
Fairclough, from player welfare group Progressive Rugby, countered that the verdict sends an “entirely erroneous message”.
Owen Farrell in action against Wales (TOM SANDBERG/PPAUK/REX/Shutterstock)He said: “I do hope World Rugby or the Six Nations appeals this decision because otherwise all of us involved in community or youth rugby will find it very difficult to say to our players ‘tackle below the waist’.
“Because what they are seeing is that if you get a good barrister you will, as was said by Ford, they got away with it.
“That’s a really very bizarre thing because the neurons in the head of Taine Basham certainly didn’t get away with it because he had a head injury assessment that he failed. There is no legal representation for the brain of the injured player.”
Dr Willie Stewart, a neuropathologist who actually advises World Rugby on brain health, echoed Fairclough’s call for the verdict to be challenged by the authorities.
“Given @worldrugby stated position that 'player welfare is the number one priority in the game'," he tweeted. "I presume an appeal is pending?"