World Rugby has confirmed the “bunker” review system for yellow cards will be introduced for the forthcoming World Cup despite the furore caused over Owen Farrell’s recent sending off.
Farrell faces his second disciplinary hearing on Tuesday and the conclusion of a drawn‑out saga that led to questions over the review system’s credibility after his red card was overturned. The England captain was shown a yellow card for a dangerous tackle on Wales’s Taine Basham this month but was sent off upon bunker review.
When Farrell’s red card was overturned last week, the player welfare lobby group Progressive Rugby said that the decision had “critically undermined the newly introduced bunker process before a global tournament and eroded confidence in the game’s judicial process”. World Rugby subsequently appealed against the initial verdict and Farrell now faces a second hearing.
In what is shaping up to be D-day for England’s World Cup campaign, Billy Vunipola also faces a separate hearing on Tuesday after he was sent off on Saturday, again via the review system. World Rugby opted on Monday to announce the system will be in place for the World Cup before the two hearings take place.
As both incidents involved contact with the head, the players are facing six-week bans. Vunipola would hope for a significant reduction having not served a suspension before and can also have another week taken off his ban for attending tackle school. If the red card is upheld he can expect a minimum suspension of two weeks, however, ruling the No 8 out of England’s World Cup opener against Argentina on 9 September.
Farrell is facing a longer ban because of his disciplinary record, and as he attended tackle school this year he cannot return. Four, or even five, weeks would be the most likely outcome but England were adamant he was available to face Ireland last weekend, and would have played but for the furore, and will hope the Dublin defeat counts as part of any ban.
Meanwhile Eddie Jones has called on the services of New Zealand’s World Cup‑winning coach Steve Hansen in an effort to turn around Australia’s fortunes. The Wallabies have lost all four matches in Jones’s second spell in charge but he and Hansen are close friends and, as revealed by the Sydney Morning Herald, the New Zealander is undertaking unpaid work with Australia before their World Cup campaign. Given the rivalry between the two nations, the secondment has raised eyebrows in the All Blacks ranks.
The hooker Dane Coles said: “That hurts a little bit, I’m actually gobsmacked. I know he’s quite tight with Eddie, I think they’re pretty good mates. But he’s a bit of an icon in the All Blacks setup; yeah I’m actually a bit speechless. It’s a bit disappointing, but we can’t do much about that.
“I love him, he’s a great man. But he’s not obviously in our environment at the moment, so we’ve just got to leave it … hopefully he doesn’t tell Eddie all our secrets. I think he’ll be respectful, that’s the main thing. If he’s respectful, which I think he will be to the All Blacks, then there’ll be no problems. And that’s just me trying to process what you’ve just said.”
France have included Anthony Jelonch in their World Cup squad after the flanker was deemed fit enough after sustaining a serious knee injury in February. Cyril Baille has also been selected despite a calf injury that is expected to sideline the loosehead prop for the start of the tournament while there are also places for the 20-year-old wing Louis Bielle‑Biarrey and the newly capped back-row Paul Boudehent. Brice Dulin and Baptiste Serin are the notable omissions.
Tonga have included George Moala in their squad despite the fact the former All Blacks centre is serving a five‑match suspension. It is understood that Clermont’s fixture against Perpignan is counting towards his ban meaning he is due to miss Tonga’s first three pool matches. Clermont also have a fixture on 2 September but it is understood that as Tonga are “in tournament” by then, that match may not count towards his ban.
The Pacific Islanders have appealed against his suspension, and the hearing will take place on Thursday. Israel Folau, who has been struggling with a knee injury, was not included in the 32-man squad with one player still to be announced.
