England captain Farrell wins battle to overturn red card, but rugby loses the war to prioritise player safety

So, there we have it. Some players are untouchable and some countries have great wealth and access to the best lawyers – and player safety is not a priority, no matter how many promotional videos and campaigns say otherwise.

Drawing any other conclusion from the fact that England’s Owen Farrell escaped censure for smashing his shoulder into Wales flank Taine Basham’s face last week, is delusional.

Even if the incident were accidental – and that’s highly debatable – reducing the red card to yellow is an extremely contentious decision that will, in time, have huge ramifications for the sport.

Flyhalf Farrell was red-carded during last weekend’s Test against Wales at Twickenham for clobbering Basham in the face with his shoulder.

The only way Farrell was likely to evade a minimum four-week suspension was if the red card was rescinded and reduced to a yellow. To the sound of jaws hitting the floor across the rugby world, that’s exactly what transpired and everything that followed was mandated by the process.

In this instance, Farrell’s tackle struck Basham on the chin with force, with Farrell in an almost upright position. The Welsh player failed a head-injury assessment and could not continue.

Read more: World Rugby must throw the book at repeat offender Farrell if they are serious about tackling head injuries

Yet the all-Australian independent judicial committee of Adam Casselden SC, John Langford and David Croft came to a different conclusion based on a technicality that apparently only they could see.

The key factor, according to the committee, was this: “The Committee found that a late change in dynamics due to England number 2’s (Jamie George) interaction in the contact area brought about a sudden and significant change in direction from the ball carrier.

“In the Committee’s opinion, this mitigation was sufficient to bring the player’s act of foul play below the red card threshold.”

Watch the incident here and decide for yourself how much Basham changed his body height as a result of George’s actions. Also, note whether Farrell even tried to wrap his arm, as legal tackling would dictate.

It doesn’t matter which way you cut it, the committee has taken an extremely lenient view.

According to The Telegraph, “Farrell’s defence was led by Richard Smith KC, a veteran of five World Cups, three British and Irish Lions tours and described as the country’s ‘preeminent rugby barrister’. A profile of Smith on Chambers & Partners says he “achieves incredible results from seemingly impossible situations”.

World Rugby could appeal against the outcome, but that is an unlikely hope – even though it would send a strong message that it is serious about player safety.

Farrell was initially yellow-carded by Georgian referee Nika Amashukeli, but the foul play review officer (FPRO), in what is called the “bunker”, reviewed the matter. A few minutes later, the message came back from the FPRO to the referee with the instruction to elevate the yellow card to a red.

Farrell was subsequently charged with dangerous tackling, which carries a six-week, mid-range sanction for any hit that makes contact with a player’s head. Farrell has also previously served three suspensions related to dangerous tackling.

During the hearing, Farrell even admitted to “committing an act of foul play”, according to a statement from the independent judicial committee. Yet he has escaped any punishment.

Inconsistency

See the incident here

Discrediting the ‘Bunker’