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Owen Farrell cleared to play All Blacks after tackle not cited

By Online Editors
Owen Farrell of England encourages team mates during the Quilter International match between England and South Africa at Twickenham Stadium. (Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images)

World Rugby has announced there are ‘no citings’ from England’s victory over South Africa on Saturday, clearing Owen Farrell of any wrong doing in his extra-time bellringer on Andre Esterhuizen.

Farrell will be free to play next weekend against the All Blacks, despite the controversial tackle which led with the shoulder and appeared to have minimal or late arm-wrapping. Angus Gardner decided there was ‘enough arms in the tackle’ to avoid issuing a penalty, which ended the game as the final play.

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World Rugby Citing Commissioner, Keith Brown, decided the incident did not warrant a red card, leading to no further action.

England have a few worries with Tom Curry limping off injured during the second half and is to be assessed ahead of the game while Ben Morgan has not rejoined the squad due to injury.

Courtney Lawes has returned from a back injury to join the squad while centre Joe Marchant has also been called up in the 35-man squad to take on the All Blacks.

 

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J
Jon 9 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

This is the problem with conservative mindsets and phycology, and homogenous sports, everybody wants to be the same, use the i-win template. Athlete wise everyone has to have muscles and work at the gym to make themselves more likely to hold on that one tackle. Do those players even wonder if they are now more likely to be tackled by that player as a result of there “work”? Really though, too many questions, Jake. Is it better Jake? Yes, because you still have that rugby of ole that you talk about. Is it at the highest International level anymore? No, but you go to your club or checkout your representative side and still engage with that ‘beautiful game’. Could you also have a bit of that at the top if coaches encouraged there team to play and incentivized players like Damian McKenzie and Ange Capuozzo? Of course we could. Sadly Rugby doesn’t, or didn’t, really know what direction to go when professionalism came. Things like the state of northern pitches didn’t help. Over the last two or three decades I feel like I’ve been fortunate to have all that Jake wants. There was International quality Super Rugby to adore, then the next level below I could watch club mates, pulling 9 to 5s, take on the countries best in representative rugby. Rugby played with flair and not too much riding on the consequences. It was beautiful. That largely still exists today, but with the world of rugby not quite getting things right, the picture is now being painted in NZ that that level of rugby is not required in the “pathway” to Super Rugby or All Black rugby. You might wonder if NZR is right and the pathway shouldn’t include the ‘amateur’, but let me tell you, even though the NPC might be made up of people still having to pull 9-5s, we know these people still have dreams to get out of that, and aren’t likely to give them. They will be lost. That will put a real strain on the concept of whether “visceral thrill, derring-do and joyful abandon” type rugby will remain under the professional level here in NZ. I think at some point that can be eroded as well. If only wanting the best athlete’s at the top level wasn’t enough to lose that, shutting off the next group, or level, or rugby players from easy access to express and showcase themselves certainly will. That all comes back around to the same question of professionalism in rugby and whether it got things right, and rugby is better now. Maybe the answer is turning into a “no”?

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