ENGLAND SECOND ROW Charlie Ewels has been banned for three weeks after his 82-second sending-off for a high tackle on Ireland’s James Ryan in their Six Nations clash on Saturday.
The incident sent the Ireland lock straight to the ground and then look very wobbly as he got back to his feet after receiving treatment. He was withdrawn from the game but will not be considered for selection against Scotland in Ireland’s final Six Nations game this Saturday.
His return-to-rugby protocols will be managed by Leinster’s medical team.
An independent judicial committee ruled that a number of mitigating factors enabled Ewels to avoid a longer ban based on World Rugby’s regulations concerning contact with the head.
The ruling means Ewels will miss England’s next match against France on 19 March as well as Bath’s games against Sale and Worcester Warriors this month – although the final match may also be substituted if Ewels undertakes a coaching intervention programme.
In a statement, the panel said it had determined that “the act of foul play was reckless as a result of the player’s poor tackle technique”, and noted that Ewels had admitted his tackle had been worthy of a red card.
The statement added: “The player never lowers, or attempts to lower, his body height before contact with the ball carrier resulting in a forceful clash of heads.
“The player had a good line of sight of the ball carrier and was in control of his actions coming into contact. There was no sudden and significant drop or movement by the ball carrier prior to contact.
On that basis, the Committee applied World Rugby’s mandatory minimum mid-range entry point for foul play resulting in contact with the head. This resulted in a starting point of a six-week suspension.
“Having acknowledged mitigating factors including, the player’s early acceptance of the red card, his remorse and contrition for his offending, his relatively unblemished disciplinary record over a long playing career and his good character and conduct at the hearing, the committee reduced the six-week entry point by three weeks, resulting in a sanction of three weeks.”
Ireland internationals Devin Toner and Lindsay Peat were our guests for The Front Row’s special live event, in partnership with Guinness, this week. The panel chats through Ireland’s championship chances ahead of the final round of Guinness Six Nations matches, and members of the Emerald Warriors – Ireland’s first LGBT+ inclusive rugby team – also join us to talk about breaking down barriers in rugby. Click here to subscribe or listen below:
The42 / SoundCloud
