England's Farrell risks missing Six Nations opener after tackle citing
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England's Farrell risks missing Six Nations opener after tackle citing
London (AFP) – Owen Farrell could miss England s Six Nations opener against Scotland next month after being cited for a dangerous tackle during Saracens 19-16 Premiership win over Gloucester.
The Saracens fly-half, 31, is in line to start for England in Steve Borthwick s first game in charge, against Scotland at Twickenham on February 4.
But he could be sidelined following what appeared to be a high, shoulder-led charge on Gloucester replacement Jack Clement near the end of a tense encounter at Kingsholm on Friday, where Farrell landed a winning drop-goal with the last kick of the game.
A statement issued Monday by England s governing Rugby Football Union on Monday said Farrell had been cited for "dangerous tackling".
He will now face a disciplinary hearing at 1830 GMT on Tuesday.
Match referee Karl Dickson took no on-field action against Farrell, after what appeared to be a miscommunication with the T|V match official.
But citing commissioner James Hall has ruled Farrell, appointed England captain by former coach Eddie Jones, does have a case to answer after the stand-off s shoulder made contact with Clement s chin.
Mid-range dangerous tackles, including contact to the head, come with a six-week ban, which can be halved with a good disciplinary record. Suspensions can also be reduced if offenders agree to undergo a course in improving their tackling technique.
Farrell was banned for five games in 2020 following a high tackle on Wasps player Charlie Atkinson, and questions about his technique have been raised before, notably when he escaped sanction for a shoulder charge on South Africa s Andre Esterhuizen at Twickenham in 2018.
Punishments for suspensions incurred at domestic level in rugby union can also be applied to international matches.
Farrell s hearing created another headache for Borthwick, among the crowd at Kingsholm, following injuries to back-row Tom Curry and hooker Luke Cowan-Dickie.
Asked about the Clement incident, Saracens rugby director Mark McCall said after the match: "I was pitchside for the last three or four minutes, so I haven t seen it yet.
"I have heard there is a potential high tackle that I will have to look at."
Gloucester coach George Skivington said: "It is really tricky to comment on it. I don t want to end up in a judiciary myself, so I have to keep shtum. I will just say that consistency across games will be
