Aviva Premiership
Owen Farrell escapes punishment for tackle on Anthony Watson
Tom Hamilton
May 31, 2015

Owen Farrell will not face any further action for his tackle on Anthony Watson in the Aviva Premiership final.

Farrell's high tackle on Watson in the second minute of Saracens' win over Bath saw the fullback forced off five minutes later. At the time the tackle saw Bath win a penalty but Wayne Barnes did not further penalise the fly-half.

Post-match, Bath coach Mike Ford said he believed the tackle worthy of a red card but the Rugby Football Union has said it was a Level 1 Citing which equates to a yellow card but an offence which just falls short of a red. Rob Webber was also awarded the same penalty for tackling a jumper in the air.

The RFU statement read: "The threshold for a Citing Commissioner Warning (Level 1 Citing) is greater than a yellow card but narrowly fails the red card test required for a full citing. The penalty is the equivalent to a post-match foul play yellow card, three of which would result in the player being subject to a disciplinary. Neither Farrell nor Webber has received enough foul play yellow cards or Citing Commissioner Warnings to initiate disciplinary proceedings."

The news will be a welcome boost for Stuart Lancaster who has already seen Dylan Hartley ruled out of the World Cup after he was handed a four-match ban for a head-butt on Jamie George.

© Tom Hamilton

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