A closer look at all of Owen Farrell’s bans for dangerous tackles

Dylan Coetzee
England skipper Owen Farrell looks on.

England skipper Owen Farrell looks on.

 

England and Saracens fly-half Owen Farrell’s tackle technique has got him into trouble a fair bit, with the playmaker banned multiple times over his career.

Planet Rugby takes a look at all the tackles that have led to bans for Farrell, beginning with a nasty shot in 2016.

2016: Saracens v Wasps – 2 matches

The playmaker’s first suspension resulting from a dangerous tackle came in 2016 when, in a Premiership semi-final against Wasps, Farrell characteristically led with his shoulder into contact, striking Dan Robson in the head.

It is a really poor tackle as the veteran came flying into contact. The referee on the day, Romain Poite, only gave a yellow card which highlights how the game has developed since towards protecting players’ heads.

Farrell was cited for that tackle and banned for two weeks for the incident.

2020: Saracens v Wasps – 5 matches

Again against Wasps but four years on and even more reckless than the first. Farrell had absolutely no excuses for this one that left a young Charlie Atkinson unconscious.

It is a clear and brutal swinging arm from the Englishman who makes absolutely no attempt to consider the safety of the player he is tackling and the contact is just incredibly difficult to watch.

Farrell was banned for five weeks following the incident in which he admitted that he knew it was a bad one.

2023: Saracens v Gloucester – 4 matches, minus one for tackle school

The most recent of his transgressions before the Wales Test and one that was not given a card in the game.

Perhaps not as brutal of contact as some of the others but dealt with more harshly as the game focuses on player safety and welfare.

Following the match Farrell was given a five-match ban which was reduced to four as he took part in a coaching intervention course aimed at improving tackle technique. It is important to note that he can only use the coaching intervention once to reduce the length of a ban.

2023: England v Wales – 4 matches

During a warm-up match against Wales ahead of the 2023 Rugby World Cup in France, Farrell made this tackle on Wales flanker Taine Basham.

 

On the day, the England captain was shown a yellow card, with the Foul Play Review Bunker upgrading his sin-binning to a red card.

Farrell looked to have escaped a ban that would have ruled him out of the start of the World Cup when an independent disciplinary panel rescinded his red card. However, World Rugby appealed the decision with an appeal committee then handing the fly-half a four-game suspension.

The suspension meant that he was ruled out of England’s opening World Cup games against Argentina and Japan.

Total number of games Owen Farrell has missed through suspension: 18

READ MORE: What’s the Foul Play Review Bunker and how does it work?

England Owen Farrell

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