England will be delighted at their captain’s reprieve but in the long term it could have serious repercussions for player welfare
Not since that jaw‑dropping moment last year when a court was told that Rebekah Vardy’s agent had lost her mobile phone in the North Sea has there been a more prolonged social media guffaw. “Owen Farrell has escaped a ban of any kind? Hahahahaha. No, honestly, stop messing about. What did he really get? You must be JOKING! That’s ridiculous.”
A similar conversation will have been unfolding on refereeing WhatsApp groups the world over and, almost certainly, within World Rugby’s corridors of supposed influence. Minus the laughing-face emojis. Because, theoretically, rugby union is a sport doing everything it can to portray itself as safe and responsible. Except that, in reality, its entire disciplinary system now looks totally unfit for purpose.
Written by Robert Kitson
This news first appeared on https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2023/aug/15/owen-farrells-rescinded-red-card-sets-worrying-precedent-for-the-game under the title “Owen Farrell’s rescinded red card sets worrying precedent for the game | Robert Kitson”. Bolchha Nepal is not responsible or affiliated towards the opinion expressed in this news article.
