On the same day Owen Farrell’s red card for a high tackle in England’s victory over Wales was rescinded by a judicial committee which has left him free to play in the World Cup, Tonga international George Moala was banned for five weeks for a tip tackle during a recent match against Canada.
Two different offences by two different individuals but both considered foul play worthy of red cards at the time.
Farrell, the serial high tackler who was sent to World Rugby’s “tackle school” earlier this year for a similar offence, has what you could call form.
Moala, a former All Black now playing for a Tier 2 nation, does not. He has a clean record and yet now will effectively miss the World Cup.
Justice for Farrell? Justice for Moala? Justice for Wales replacement Taine Basham, who failed a head injury assessment and took no further part in the Test at Twickenham after Farrell's hit?
These are perilous times for the game and World Rugby, an organisation facing a class action by 200 former players suffering from the effects of concussion, including former England international Steve Thompson, who has dementia and can’t remember being awarded an MBE by the late Queen after his nation’s 2003 World Cup victory.
World Rugby’s oft-stated No.1 priority is player welfare, but this latest decision – allowing England’s captain to escape a ban due to a technicality - is not compatible with that.
The committee found there were mitigating circumstances because an England player pushed Basham into Farrell, changing his direction, but replays show there was no significant change of direction and that Farrell was always going to hit the player high and with his shoulder as he has so often before.
The outrage over the decision on social media from former and current players reflects the depth of feeling in the rugby community and is probably as bad as it has ever been over such a decision. As it stands, every foul play judicial decision in the future will be judged against this, including during the World Cup which kicks off on September 9.
Former All Black Steven Luatua, now playing in the United Kingdom, wrote: “No ban? What a joke.” Other players used far stronger language.
Professor John Fairclough from the player welfare and concussion awareness lobby group Progressive Rugby said the decision “has made a mockery of World Rugby’s claim that player welfare is the game’s No 1 priority”.
It’s a damning judgment that will be shared across rugby, including, presumably, among Farrell’s own teammates.
I’ve hinted that this may not be the end of the matter, and it’s doubtful it will be as currently World Rugby have lost all credibility over their approach to head injuries, the biggest threat to the game.
There have been questions about whether World Rugby have the right to appeal or whether it’s the Six Nations that have jurisdiction because the Test was played under the latter’s control.
Either way, it’s clear World Rugby have to step in and appeal the decision and there is a precedent for this.
In 2012, after an All Blacks Test against Scotland in Edinburgh, loose forward Adam Thompson was banned for a week for stomping. Alasdair Strokosch, the opponent, insisted it was not intentional.
Regardless, following an outcry on social media, largely led by UK journalists, International Rugby Board (now known as World Rugby) chief executive Brett Gosper was moved to intervene.
He effectively appealed it. Thompson was given two weeks instead.
Farrell deserves the same treatment, but a longer ban.
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