SIR CLIVE WOODWARD: Owen Farrell’s suspension was the right outcome, but it was absolutely FARCIAN from start to finish. It is now up to Steve Borthwick and England to respond quickly to this hugely damaging episode
- World Rugby appealed the decision to overturn Owen Farrell’s red card against Wales
- The appeals committee has now suspended the England captain for four games
- It means Farrell will miss the first two games of England’s World Cup season
Owen Farrell’s four-game suspension was confirmed on Tuesday night and it was the right outcome.
But the way this has been achieved has definitely been a farce for him, England and rugby as a whole. I really feel sorry for Farrell as he was unnecessarily personally attacked during this story.
The end result of this whole sad mess is that the England captain will miss the first two games of the World Cup against Argentina and Japan.
The four-match ban includes last weekend’s defeat to Ireland – rightly so, in my opinion – preventing Farrell from playing in the final pre-season match against Fiji and in the early stages of the tournament in France. But he undoubtedly still has a key role to play for England.
He still has to go to the World Cup as a skipper. If he had been suspended for six weeks, I might have thought differently. In all likelihood, he will also return to the team right away if he is available.
Owen Farrell has been suspended for four games after an appeals committee overturned the decision to withdraw his red card against Wales. It has been a farcical process from start to finish
Farrell was originally sent off for a high tackle on Taine Basham in England’s win over Wales
For now, Steve Borthwick will have to reserve judgment on that as George Ford or Marcus Smith could potentially start in the early stages of the competition. And as an international head coach, you have to take things game by game.
But there is no doubt that the whole Farrell episode has been hugely damaging to England. They are now leaderless for the opening game against Argentina, which is a big blow.
I’ve consistently maintained that the game against the Pumas will define England’s World Cup season, so missing one of his best players is a huge blow to Borthwick.
Especially when you consider that Billy Vunipola will most likely also be suspended on Wednesday for his dangerous tackle and subsequent elimination against Ireland.
I think it’s a big ask for Smith to start number 10 against Argentina. But whether Borthwick chooses him or Ford, it’s a great chance for both to make an impact and reach a milestone.
I can still imagine Borthwick will choose Ford as he is a huge fan of his abilities and the two teamed up to win the Premier League with Leicester.
The whole Farrell episode has been hugely damaging to England and Steve Borthwick
Borthwick has to choose George Ford (above) or Marcus Smith in the absence of Farrell at age 10
Borthwick and England should have expected this, so now it’s up to them to react quickly.
England should still be good enough at the age of ten to beat Argentina with Ford or Smith. However, I am not saying that this is a guarantee. On the contrary: Argentina is a very dangerous side.
The other point I want to make is the ridiculous amount of time it took for Farrell’s ban to be made public.
He appeared in the dock early yesterday morning. Why did it take all day to raise public awareness? Rugby needs to progress much, much faster in this area, especially when the decisions affect the game at the highest level.
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