Owen Farrell’s hopes of featuring in England’s Six Nations opener against Scotland have been boosted after he was banned for just three weeks for a dangerous tackle while attending tackling school.
Farrell was found guilty of a dangerous tackle on Gloucester’s Jack Clement in Saracens’ narrow win last Friday and was initially given a six-week mid-range ban. This was reduced to four weeks in mitigation (he was not awarded the full amount due to a five-week suspension for dangerous entry in September 2020), and will be reduced by a further week as long as he attends the program of World Rugby coach intervention unofficially known as coach. “tackle school”.
Although Farrell is usually a shoo-in to be named in Steve Borthwick’s first England squad next week, and quite possibly captain, the disciplinary committee determined that, as the squad has not yet been named, the ban should be imposed on club matches. In essence, the panel decided it wasn’t their job to speculate on whether Farrell would be drafted.
Borthwick, however, has been dealt an injury blow with Sale full-back Tom Curry set to miss England’s first two Six Nations games. Curry, who has won 45 caps and captained England for the first time in last season’s Six Nations opener against Scotland, was injured during Sale’s Premiership win against Harlequins on Sunday. The new England boss is already without Exeter hooker Luke Cowan-Dickie for at least the start of the tournament after he injured his ankle last weekend.
Farrell’s ban, meanwhile, covers Saracens’ upcoming Champions Cup double-header against Lyon and Saracens, as well as their Premiership game against Bristol on January 28. However, players selected in Borthwick’s Six Nations squad would not be available for their clubs on the last weekend of January, raising serious questions about whether the Bristol game constitutes a “significant” missed match .
The panel suggested that if Borthwick selects Farrell next week, his list of missed matches could be amended to include England’s game against Scotland on February 4, as it is difficult to argue that Farrell will miss the Saracens game against Bristol when he’s in England Camp anyway.
It is understood, however, that the RFU consider Farrell available for selection next Monday as well as the Scotland game because, in theory, he could be released from the England training camp for the Bristol game despite although not was forbidden there is, in reality, no chance of that happening.
Whether the panel agrees is another matter entirely and if Farrell is fully involved in England’s preparations and the Scotland game, the RFU and Borthwick would be open to widespread criticism. It could be averted, however, if Farrell is omitted by the new manager next week, misses training before January 28 and joins the squad at the start of Scotland week.
Quick Guide
How do I sign up for breaking sports news alerts?
show
- Download the Guardian app from the iOS App Store on iPhone or the Google Play Store on Android by searching for “The Guardian”.
- If you already have the Guardian app, make sure you have the latest version.
- In the Guardian app, tap the Menu button at the bottom right, then go to Settings (the gear icon), then Notifications.
- Turn on sports notifications.
Thanks for your comments.
If so, Borthwick would at least have Farrell available for the Calcutta Cup, but it would be a major disruption as he was also forced to miss England’s Jersey side with concussion before his autumn international campaign began with a defeat against Argentina. Even more so, considering that Marcus Smith and George Ford have been sidelined by injury since November and June, respectively.
The court’s written ruling said: “In the event of a change in circumstances, it will be the responsibility of the parties to consider the position and ensure that the penalty imposed by this panel remains meaningful. If necessary, the date of free play of the player to ensure that the penalty remains significant.”
If the lingering uncertainty leaves a sour taste, it is worth noting that it is not the disciplinary committee’s responsibility to pre-empt squad announcements, however much it is safe to say Farrell would be selected for England if available.
The most recent precedent is a two-week ban by Kyle Sinckler two years ago. The panel determined that although he was an international player, the Six Nations squad had not yet been announced and his ban should therefore apply to the Bristol matches.
He ended up missing Bristol’s game against Bath the weekend before the start of the Six Nations, as well as against Sale on the same weekend as England’s Championship opener against Scotland. Crucially, however, he was not picked in Eddie Jones’ starting Six Nations squad and was only added once his ban expired.