Owen Farrell will lead England into the World Cup after his red card against Wales was not upheld by a disciplinary panel, making him free to play with immediate effect.
Farrell was sent off at Twickenham on Saturday when his yellow card for a dangerous tackle on Taine Basham was upgraded to a red by the ‘Bunker’ review system.
But the hearing decided that a “late change in dynamics” due to Jamie George’s involvement in the contact area “brought about a sudden and significant change in direction from the ball carrier”.
Using this mitigation it was decided by the all-Australian panel that Farrell – who was expected to face a mid-range sanction of a six-week suspension – should have been hit with a sinbinning only.
The Counter Ruck: the rugby newsletter from The Irish Times
Patrick O’Donovan’s overstatements damage credibility of the International Sports Diplomacy Framework
Let’s see what Rieko Ioane’s Leinster performances say about him
Rugby World Cups aren’t adding up for the best teams and there is no easy fix
Farrell had faced a ban that could have seen him miss the World Cup opener against Argentina on September 9th.
