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Owen Farrell of the Saracens appears dejected after being sent off during the Premiership Rugby match against Wasps at Allianz Park on September 5, 2020.
David Rogers / Getty Images
England captain Owen farrell He will miss champion Saracens’ European Champions Cup quarter-finals against Leinster later this month after he received a five-game ban on Tuesday for a dangerous tackle last weekend.
Farrell was sent off for the first time in his career when, playing for Saracens against Wasps in the English Premiership on Saturday, he was sacked at the hour mark for a head challenge on teenage replacement Charlie Atkinson on Saturday.
At the time, scores at the Saracens ‘Allianz Park Stadium in north London were tied, but Farrell’s red card paved the way for the Wasps’ 28-18 victory.
With rugby union bans applying in all competitions, Farrell will now miss the Saracens’ knockout match against the Irish province of Leinster on September 19.
But with Farrell free to play again on October 5, he will be available to lead England in their reshuffled Six Nations game against Italy in Rome on October 31 and subsequent year-end international matches.
Farrell had accepted the charge and Mike Hamlin, chairman of an online disciplinary panel, said in a statement: “The RFU, the player and the panel agreed that the infraction was reckless and unintentional.
“This was totally unacceptable contact with Charlie Atkinson’s head / neck as a result of a reckless tackle that resulted in him being knocked unconscious and suffering a concussion.
“This resulted in the panel concluding that it was a high-level offense with a ten-game entry point. There were no aggravating features.”
However, Hamlin said the character references from Saracens boss Mark McCall and England coach Eddie Jones meant that under RFU regulations they could cut Farrell’s punishment in half of a possible suspension from 10 sets.
“The testimonials provided by Mark McCall, Eddie Jones, and the founders of a charity that the player works closely with were of the highest quality,” said Hamlin.
“The panel concluded that by applying mitigating factors off the field, despite his suspension four and a half years ago, the player (Farrell) was entitled to a reduction from 10 games to five significant games under RFU regulation 19.11.11. The player can play again on October 5. “
The Saracens’ focus has long been to retain the Champions Cup, given that they will be relegated from the Premiership at the end of the season for breaching the salary cap.
Farrell, 28, expressed his remorse immediately on the field. Referee Christophe Ridley had no choice but to show the red card on Saturday after the fly-half’s arm connected with Atkinson’s head.
The tackling technique of Farrell, England’s captain in last year’s Rugby World Cup final loss to South Africa in Japan, has long been a controversial topic.
In November 2018, Farrell, while playing for England, escaped any penalty for a shoulder load to South African Andre Esterhuizen when, with 80 minutes left, a penalty would have given the Springboks a chance to kick a goal in a match they lost 12. -11.
Three weeks later, Farrell’s armless tackle on Izack Rodda also went unpunished in a win over Australia, with the Wallabies furious that they were not awarded a try penalty.
Shocking swing arm from Owen Farrell and earned a red card. There is also a decent ban coming, I spoke about his tackle technique in @ElRugbyPod previously and it was a case of when this happened no yes ….. pic.twitter.com/kpnkqjETrp
– Andy Goode (@ AndyGoode10) September 5, 2020
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