Legendary former referee Nigel Owens believes that “whatever the judicial outcome”, Owen Farrell’s tackle must be given a red card.
The England skipper’s tackle technique has been firmly in the spotlight this week as the red card for a dangerous hit against Wales was rescinded by a Six Nations Rugby displinary panel.
World Rugby has since stepped in to appeal the decision, meaning Farrell’s Rugby World Cup is in serious doubt as he does not have a clean disciplinary record, so there will be no mitigation to reduce any ban received.
🧐 I’m struggling to see the ‘sudden and significant change in direction’ in Basham’s carry from George’s actions that would really result in Owen Farrell making a dangerous tackle here
He is launching from the start and making a bad tackle regardless.
A precedent has been set. pic.twitter.com/bBhCTJfEwT
— Jared Wright (@jaredwright17) August 15, 2023
Going through the checklist
Owens, who is widely regarded as one of the greatest referees the game has seen, suggested that player welfare would take a step backwards if a red card is not reinstated.
“Owen Farrell is a great player who I have a huge amount of respect for,” Owens told Wales Online.
“But he has a history of making this kind of tackle; he’s been punished before and perhaps got away with a couple too.
“The referee and everybody at home watching the game would have been looking at that incident and going through their checklist.
“Do we have foul play? Yes, we do. Do we have contact with the head? Yes, we do. Do we have a high degree of danger? Yes, we certainly do. Do we have mitigation? In my view, no we don’t.
“I don’t think there was any late change from Basham, which Farrell could not adjust to; he was the only player contributing to the action of the tackle.
It must be a red
“The key thing about mitigation here is that Farrell’s actions were always illegal. No matter what happened, he was always leading with the shoulder and not making an attempt to wrap for a legal tackle – so mitigation does not and should not play a part in the decision.
“For me, it’s a red card, and whatever the judicial outcome may be, it still has to be a red card.
“We must stay strong and deal with acts of foul play. This is foul play, it’s an illegal charge, it’s not an accident. He’s always leading with the shoulder, he’s made contact with the head and, sorry, he’s got to take the consequences.
“The important message here to everybody involved in the game is, despite whatever reasons that the judicial officers had for their decision, this was a red card and should continue to be a red card for the good of player safety and the future of the game as well.
“Quite simply, if we don’t deal with actions like this as a red card offence, then the game is going to be in big trouble moving forward.”
READ MORE: England captain Owen Farrell the target of ‘personal and character attacks’
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