Owen Farrell: given five-game ban

[wasps]

I don't particularly like Farrell (although I've never met him), and I don't like Saracens, but I think we're going overboard here.

He's basically been given a 10 match ban. That would usually be 2-3 months.
It's then been reduced to 5 matches.



A few years ago when our own Ashley Johnson badly mistimed a tackle at a kick off and upended Dave Kearney with a horrible high tackle, he was banned for 6 weeks, reduced to 3, and only got a yellow in the game itself



They are different incidents, and my bias against Farrell makes me feel like his is far worse. However his ban is over 50% longer than Johnson's was so maybe the panel have come to a roughly consistent conclusion and have punished Farrell comparatively severely

[Nigel Med]

Can see in future disciplinary hearings being snowed under with representations from all and sundry saying how superb said person is. It won't be long before primary teachers and lollipop ladies are brought to the fore.
Outside matters should have NO bearing on punishment for acts on the field of play.

Absolutely correct.

It's funny how after a poor performance by a team the coaches are often quoted as saying that once the whistle blows to start a game their job is done and it's up to the players. By the same logic, any foul play by a player is purely the responsibility of that player, what a coach thinks it completely immaterial and disciplinary panels shouldn't be wasting their time listening to EJ or McCaw. Did they hear representations from medical experts in head injuries who could tell them just how much long term damage could be done by swinging an arm at speed into the unprotected head of a young player?

I don't care if a player does the shopping for OAPs in their spare time or tidy up the changing room after training, what matters is what they do during the 80 minutes of the game and if they are incredibly reckless they should be punished accordingly. I can think of several players who were animals on the pitch and frequently up before the beak but the most charming, polite and likeable people off it.

I'm glad that Farrell has received a reasonable ban, could have been more but taking my Wasps bias away 5 weeks sounds about right.

[DGP Wasp]

It's funny how after a poor performance by a team the coaches are often quoted as saying that once the whistle blows to start a game their job is done and it's up to the players. By the same logic, any foul play by a player is purely the responsibility of that player, what a coach thinks it completely immaterial and disciplinary panels shouldn't be wasting their time listening to EJ or McCaw.

That assumes of course that the players are not coached to play in a certain manner.  "On the edge" as some like to euphemistically call it!

[Hymenoptera]

However his ban is over 50% longer than Johnson's was so maybe the panel have come to a roughly consistent conclusion and have punished Farrell comparatively severely

It isn't, its 3 weeks.

[wasps]

However his ban is over 50% longer than Johnson's was so maybe the panel have come to a roughly consistent conclusion and have punished Farrell comparatively severely

It isn't, its 3 weeks.

Maybe similar number of weeks, but different number of games.

Surely number of games missed is a better metric

Afterall, the Joe Marler ban earlier this year has shown the limitations in banning someone for a set period of time

[Hymenoptera]

However his ban is over 50% longer than Johnson's was so maybe the panel have come to a roughly consistent conclusion and have punished Farrell comparatively severely

It isn't, its 3 weeks.

Maybe similar number of weeks, but different number of games.

Surely number of games missed is a better metric

Afterall, the Joe Marler ban earlier this year has shown the limitations in banning someone for a set period of time

5 weeks would be worse than 5 games, today more than at any time, so the better metric is weeks. Of the options available, this is the least impact to the player and that's the point.

[Rifleman Harris]

I think 5 games is the equivalent of 5 weeks in normal times, which is why they went for games in the current climate.  That seems reasonable to me.