It makes absolute sense for England to leave out Owen Farrell from Saturday’s World Cup warm-up with Ireland in Dublin as the farcical fallout of his red card continues.
Farrell needs support now because this whole debacle has become all about him rather than the game itself and that is totally wrong, regardless of what you feel about Farrell.
He is not a criminal. Farrell doesn’t deserve the amount of criticism he’s been getting. There is no need for Farrell to have received the personal attacks he has. Farell hit Taine Basham high.
It was a poor tackle and he has admitted he’s got his technique wrong. It’s right he receives a ban, but the whole situation has got badly, badly out of control.
Talk to players from others countries who have toured with Farrell on Lions tours and there is nothing but respect for him. It’s time we got some balance back into all of this.
World Rugby has launched an appeal after Owen Farrell’s red card for a high tackle was rescinded
Farrell needs support as the whole debacle has become about him rather than the game itself
Farrell got the tackle wrong but it was not his fault the decision was overturned
Thursday’s confirmation that World Rugby has appealed the decision by the Six Nations not to ban Farrell has only added fuel to the fire.
After shooting itself in one foot, rugby has now taken the pistol out again and shot the other.
Rugby has got it all so badly wrong. There are no winners from this. Rugby, Farrell and England have all been negatively impacted far more than was required.
I am just so pleased Basham seems to be OK. For me, there was no mitigation for what was a high tackle and it was a red card. But the ongoing saga should never happened and the decision of the officials on the day was totally correct. Farrell should have been banned for a few games. But we should all have moved on by now.
It is Farrell’s fault he got his tackle on Basham wrong. It happened and it will not be the last high tackle we see in rugby in the coming weeks. But it is not Farrell’s fault the independent Six Nations disciplinary panel has likely been overruled.
Why the panel initially undermined the officials – who got the call right in the first place – is beyond me. The current debate should not be all about Farrell.
The mess is far bigger than one player or one person. In many ways, this whole situation is like watching a movie. It has grown out of all proportion.
With Farrell left out of the team for Ireland – rightly in my opinion – George Ford starts at No 10 in Dublin. England need to know they can plan without Farrell and that is why it’s important Ford is given a chance with Marcus Smith on the bench.
Farrell is not a criminal and he does not deserve the criticism that he has received
The problem England head coach Steve Borthwick now has in the wake of World Rugby stepping in to appeal is that there is now more uncertainty.
It is a chaotic situation and far from ideal for Borthwick. The Six Nations will convene a new hearing to adjudicate on Farrell’s red card against Wales at the start of next week.
That leaves Borthwick in a really tricky situation. As an international boss, you want clarity and that’s something England don’t have right now, certainly not in terms of Farrell.
Borthwick admitted on Thursday he had planned to pick Farrell at No 10 but that the ongoing disciplinary process changed his mind. That is very sensible management.
Steve Borthwick has been left in a tricky position not long before the start of the World Cup
What Borthwick and England will want now is a swift resolution.
The result of next week’s new hearing – whether it’s a long ban for Farrell or not – must be heard as soon as possible. I just do not understand why this could not be done within 24 hours. Rugby’s officialdom is so slow moving when speed should be of the essence.
It is only fair on Farrell and England that there is a speedy resolution.
We must not forget the individual in all this. I like and respect Farrell a lot both on and off the pitch.
For me, the game needs to get a grip on this whole situation.
Farrell made a bad mistake, but the bigger error was the game hanging him out to dry by the decision to reverse the red card.
No player, including Farrell, deserves that.
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