Owen Farrell: England captain given five-game ban for red card against Wasps
- Published
Owen Farrell waited to apologise to Wasps' replacement Charlie Atkinson before leaving the field
England captain Owen Farrell has been given a five-game ban following his red card for Saracens for a high tackle in Saturday's 28-18 home defeat by Wasps.
The 28-year-old fly-half was sent off on 61 minutes by referee Christophe Ridley for his challenge on Wasps replacement full-back Charlie Atkinson.
He had accepted a charge of making a dangerous tackle.
Independent panel chair Mike Hamlin said: "This was a totally unacceptable contact with Charlie Atkinson."
Hamlin added: "It had the consequences of him being knocked unconscious and sustaining a concussion."
The panel had accepted that the tackle was "reckless and not intentional".
Farrell will be free to captain England in their rearranged Six Nations match with Italy as well as the autumn tournament. He is free to play again on 5 October, with England facing Italy in Rome on 31 October.
Farrell will now miss matches including Sunday's meeting between reigning Premiership champions Sarries and this season's runaway leaders Exeter, as well as the European Champions Cup quarter-final against Leinster on 19 September.
Analysis
BBC rugby union correspondent Chris Jones
The panel judged the offence to be at the high end of severity rather than the mid-range, and this feels right given the wildness of the challenge and the injury caused to the Wasps player.
Despite the controversy around Farrell's tackling, his disciplinary record is actually very good, with only one short ban four and a half years ago to his name. This, coupled with glowing testimonies from England coach Eddie Jones and Saracens director of rugby Mark McCall, ensured he got the full 50% mitigation, so a 10-game ban became five.
Whether bans should be halved, and whether the backing of a player's coaches should be relevant, is a matter for debate, but 50% mitigation is standard practice in disciplinary hearings. While there is a case that a six-game ban would have been the appropriate punishment, the outcome is consistent with the usual process.