England captain Owen Farrell cleared for Rugby World Cup after red card overturned

LONDON – England captain Owen Farrell has been cleared to play at the Rugby World Cup after his red card against Wales was rescinded at a hearing on Tuesday.

Farrell was facing a potential six-week ban that would have ruled him out of the start of the Sept 8-Oct 28 World Cup after he was sent off for a dangerous tackle on Taine Basham on Saturday.

However, an all-Australian disciplinary panel ruled that the Foul Play Review Officer “was wrong, on the balance of probabilities, to upgrade the yellow card issued to the player to a red card.

“On that basis, the Committee did not uphold the red card and the player is free to play again immediately.”

The mid-range sanction for a dangerous tackle is six games and, given Farrell had received a three-match ban for the same offence in January, on top of five matches in 2020 and two in 2016, it was expected he would not be treated leniently in the disciplinary process.

Farrell admitted to the panel that his shoulder-led tackle to the head of Basham, who as a result failed a Head Injury Assessment, was illegal but worthy of only 10 minutes in the sin bin.

Farrell, 31, has endured repeated criticism for his aggressive tackling style, with his most recent suspension coming after an illegal challenge on Gloucester’s Jack Clement in January.

But he will now be available for England’s World Cup warm-up fixtures against Ireland on Saturday and Fiji on Aug 26.

Steve Borthwick’s side launch their group campaign against Argentina in Marseille on Sept 9. England also face Japan, Chile and Samoa in Pool D.

Meanwhile, Scotland selected 15 players with World Cup experience when they named their 33-man squad on Wednesday, but there was no place for former skipper Stuart McInally.

Flanker Jamie Ritchie captains a squad that features four players who will be appearing at a third World Cup, including fly-half Finn Russell, locks Grant Gilchrist and Richie Gray and 37-year-old front-rower W.P. Nel.

Coach Gregor Townsend did not spring any major surprises in naming his squad, the announcement coming four days after Scotland’s 30-27 loss in a warm-up Test in France.

In rugby’s other code, Australia said it would commit A$7 million (S$6.14 million) for a Pacific rugby league championship, in a “football diplomacy” move seen as boosting Australia’s soft power amid competition for influence with China.

Women’s and men’s teams from seven countries will compete in the Pacific Rugby League Championships, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Wednesday.

Australia, Cook Islands, Fiji, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Samoa and Tonga will field teams. The first games will be played in Australia, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea between October and November.

Pat Conroy, the minister for international development and the Pacific, said “football diplomacy” in the Pacific was an area where Australia held an edge over China. AFP, REUTERS