Manu Tuilagi will not face any disciplinary action after a tackle on Scotland’s Sam Johnson that went unpunished was not referred by the citing commissioner before Monday’s deadline.
Footage emerged of the England centre flooring Johnson midway through the first half of Saturday’s breathtaking 38-38 draw after he collected the ball straight from a Stuart McInally lineout. Rushing up as part of England’s rush defence, Tuilagi takes aim at his opposite number and catches the 25-year-old with what appears to be a high tackle.
Tuilagi may also have hit the Australia-born centre with a swinging arm, although the footage is unclear as the moment of impact is obscured as Johnson’s teammate Byron McGuigan momentarily blocks the view as the ball is passed to him.
If Tuilagi caught Johnson in the head - which further camera angles may be able to confirm or dismiss - there would have been grounds for New Zealand referee Paul Williams to issue a red card and send him off.
But the incident has not been referred by Italian citing commissioner Stefano Marrama, leaving Tuilagi free to return to club duty this Friday as Leicester Tigers take on East Midlands rivals Northampton Saints.
Citing commissioners can refer and incidents deemed to be worthy of a red card to an independent disciplinary committee for a hearing, as well as issue a Citing Commissioner Warning (CCW) to any “player who committed an act of foul play that falls just short of warranting a red card” as long as it did not result in a yellow or red card at the time.
Tuilagi’s challenge on Johnson was not the only controversial incident that arose from Saturday’s Six Nations finale, as England captain Owen Farrell once again found himself at the centre of a row over his tackling technique.
The fly-half collided with Scotland wing Darcy Graham moments after he kicked the ball away, making contact with his shoulder near Graham’s head - though again the area of impact was not clear on video footage.
After Williams referred the challenge - which left both players on the turf and needing treatment - to Television Match Official Ben Skeen, a decision was taken to penalise Farrell for the late tackle, but no yellow card was issued.
Farrell was unlikely to be cited for the incident as it did not appear the meet the threshold for a red card, but it is the latest in a line of controversies surrounding his tackling technique. The 27-year-old was lucky to escape a yellow card in England’s 12-11 victory over South Africa last November when he hit replacement Andre Esterhuizen with a no-arm tackle. Referee Angus Gardner admitted after the match that he should have penalised Farrell for not wrapping his arm around the Springbok, and Farrell was again penalised for a similar tackle on Australia’s Izack Rodda just three weeks later.
But despite his previous for dubious tackles, Scotland head coach Gregor Townsend did not make any complaints when asked about the latest controversy.
“All I heard was the referee microphone and he said ‘I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt, no further sanction’,” Townsend said. “It was obviously the right thing for the TMO to come in and tell him to have a look at it again. We got a penalty but I’ve got no further comment.”
With no citings made in the match - or in the Six Nations at all after all five rounds passed by without any disciplinary referrals - Farrell is free to play in Saracen’s Premiership derby against Harlequins at the London Stadium on Saturday.
