Before the anger over the decision not to ban over Owen Farrell for his red card tackle on Taine Basham had settled, World Rugby stepped in today and announced that they would be appealing the outcome of Farrell's hearing.
It is a positive move from the World Rugby after the shock decision to overturn the red card for Farrell's shoulder-to-head, no arms hit against Wales last Saturday.
Not only will Farrell once again face the strong possibility of missing out on a chunk of the World Cup, but he may have played himself further by not admitting fault at the first hearing.
As pointed out by @joshgardner - one half of the excellent Blood and Mud podcast - the decision from the latest appeal will not be finalised until after this weekend, meaning that if he does receive a ban, he will likely be missing more World Cup games than if he had just pleaded guilty in the first place.
Owen Farrell And England May Have Played Themselves
The funniest outcome of all this is that Farrell misses *more* actual World Cup games because they don’t get the appeal done until after the weekend than he would have done if he’d just taken his medicine for being a reckless bastard and plead guilty.
— Josh Gardner (@joshgardner) August 17, 2023
Owen Farrell Yellow Card 🟨
‘Bunker’ review system back into play.#ENGvWAL
Edit: Has been upgraded to red 🟥 pic.twitter.com/c26hwm9Skf
— Darren (@SaffasRugby) August 12, 2023
READ HERE: Rugby Fans In Disbelief As Owen Farrell Avoids Ban Despite Sickening Wales Red Card
You can read the statement from World Rugby below:
"World Rugby has today [Thursday] confirmed to the Rugby Football Union and Six Nations Rugby that it will exercise its right to appeal in regard to the Owen Farrell disciplinary decision following a careful review of the independent judicial committee’s full written decision received on August 16.
“World Rugby fully supports the important role that an independent disciplinary process plays in upholding the integrity and values of the sport, particularly regarding foul play involving head contact.
“Player welfare is the sport’s number one priority, and the head contact process is central to that mission at the elite level of the sport. Having considered the full written decision, World Rugby considers an appeal to be warranted.
“In line with provisions set out under regulation 17, an independent appeal committee will be appointed to determine the matter at the earliest possible opportunity.
“Further details regarding the hearing, including appointments and date, will be confirmed by Six Nations Rugby.”
SEE ALSO: England Star Experienced Unfortunate Slip Of Tongue On Lack Of Owen Farrell Punishment
