Farrell - 4 week ban reduced to 3!

[fleabane]

So he can play for England! And this was his 3rd offence. Not the right message!

[CJ]

As I said on the other thread - there’s a surprise. Sarries and England. For goodness sake.

[Big Dai]

I think they did this with Johnno once.
Let he who is without sin cast the fist stone!

[Scott1]

No surprise at all! Think everyone called it

[LE18]

So that's the first one on the team sheet, who are the next 14 going to be?

[Tykger]

He was given two weeks' mitigation for his early admission of the charge and "exemplary" conduct during the hearing.

What the....??? Must have had a nice suit, shirt, tie combo.

"We acknowledge there was no injury to the opposition player and have taken this into account in our decision

No injury ??? Only time will tell. Don't they follow the science behind brain injuries ??

[trendylfj]

So he has to miss 3 games but as I said in a different thread if he is selected in the squad on Monday and would therefore, not be available for Sarries under normal circumstances, he would have to miss the Scotland game. Suspect he will not be in the initial squad but will suddenly be called up the following Monday after the third Sarries game which he would have been available for but for England selection.

[Tigerbeat]

So he has to miss 3 games but as I said in a different thread if he is selected in the squad on Monday and would therefore, not be available for Sarries under normal circumstances, he would have to miss the Scotland game. Suspect he will not be in the initial squad but will suddenly be called up the following Monday after the third Sarries game which he would have been available for but for England selection.

The wording of the ban may be critical as it states weeks and not matches.....so a reduction to 3 weeks makes him available.

[Hot_Charlie]

So he has to miss 3 games but as I said in a different thread if he is selected in the squad on Monday and would therefore, not be available for Sarries under normal circumstances, he would have to miss the Scotland game. Suspect he will not be in the initial squad but will suddenly be called up the following Monday after the third Sarries game which he would have been available for but for England selection.

The wording of the ban may be critical as it states weeks and not matches.....so a reduction to 3 weeks makes him available.

The wording of the ban that's been reported is either very poorly thought out, or maybe otherwise deliberately misleading, and states both weeks and matches.

The wording of the panel is clearer and ends with the following statement (after saying the game she should be banned for are the two European fixtures, Bristol and Tigers; this is because the panel can't pre-judge any England selection). It puts the ball pretty much in England's court as to whether the Bristol fixture should be included as a match under the suspension if Farrell is named in the England squad.

Should those games be cancelled or rearranged, or should there be a change of circumstances, then it will be the responsibility of the parties to consider the position and to ensure that the sanction imposed by this Panel remains meaningful. If necessary, the Player’s free to play date will be amended to ensure the sanction remains meaningful. That responsibility was made clear to the Parties duringthe hearing

[TigerFeetSteve]

So he has to miss 3 games but as I said in a different thread if he is selected in the squad on Monday and would therefore, not be available for Sarries under normal circumstances, he would have to miss the Scotland game. Suspect he will not be in the initial squad but will suddenly be called up the following Monday after the third Sarries game which he would have been available for but for England selection.

The wording of the ban may be critical as it states weeks and not matches.....so a reduction to 3 weeks makes him available.

The wording of the ban that's been reported is either very poorly thought out, or maybe otherwise deliberately misleading, and states both weeks and matches.

The wording of the panel is clearer and ends with the following statement (after saying the game she should be banned for are the two European fixtures, Bristol and Tigers; this is because the panel can't pre-judge any England selection). It puts the ball pretty much in England's court as to whether the Bristol fixture should be included as a match under the suspension if Farrell is named in the England squad.

Should those games be cancelled or rearranged, or should there be a change of circumstances, then it will be the responsibility of the parties to consider the position and to ensure that the sanction imposed by this Panel remains meaningful. If necessary, the Player’s free to play date will be amended to ensure the sanction remains meaningful. That responsibility was made clear to the Parties duringthe hearing

It's also worth noting that the England squad regularly "releases" players to their clubs. So he could well even be named in the training squad but listed as one of those who could be "released" back to their club

[TigerFeetSteve]

The most unbelievable thing is under the section about effect on the outcome of the match that the decision lists "none" so they're ignoring him kicking a match winning drop kick minutes later when they may not have had possession or a kicker as good as him on the pitch

[westwinds31]

Usual feeding frenzy because of who it is. In reality, if they’d sorted it on the field there wouldn’t as much fuss……but Farrell’s tackle technique is under scrutiny every time he goes into a contact situation. Other players don’t get the same scrutiny.

[longlivethecrumbie]

What the....??? Must have had a nice suit, shirt, tie combo.

You forgot biscuits. Must have had some good ones left over from Christmas

[Tykger]

Usual feeding frenzy because of who it is. In reality, if they’d sorted it on the field there wouldn’t as much fuss……but Farrell’s tackle technique is under scrutiny every time he goes into a contact situation. Other players don’t get the same scrutiny.

I see what you mean in general terms. I do think that the problem with this incident was that there was no scrutiny. See no evil, hear no evil saw to that.

[mol2]

The reality is that sooner or later Farrell will get a red card for his tacking in a England match.

I don't think it it is deliberate but is utterly ingrained in his play.
Grew up playing as a big youth when his upright tackle technique allowed him to make dominant tackles.
However in the world of grown up pro rugby his technique is exposed not bringing down and stopping big runners and now, with the current emphasis on reducing head impact his technique befits a dinosaur. Dangerous and ineffective.

By letting him off with a trivial ban for a repeat offence again fails to make him and the others who do this actively take steps to change their technique.