England number 8, Billy Vunipola, appeared before an independent judicial committee via video link having [received a red card/been cited] for an act of foul play contrary to Law 9.13 (A player must not tackle an opponent early, late or dangerously. Dangerous tackling includes, but is not limited to, tackling or attempting to tackle an opponent above the line of the shoulders even if the tackle starts below the line of the shoulders.) in the Summer Nations Series match between Ireland and England on Saturday 19th August 2023.
The independent Judicial Committee consisting of Roddy Dunlop KC – Chair (Scotland), Frank Hadden (Scotland) and Jamie Corsi (Wales) heard the case, considering all the available evidence and submissions from the player and his representative.
The player admitted that he had committed an act of foul play worthy of a red card.
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 his exemplary previous record, immediate apology and remorse, and noted the absence of any aggravating factors, the committee reduced the six week entry point by three weeks, resulting in a sanction of three weeks (to be served as the following given the player’s upcoming schedule):
- England v Fiji 26 August 2023
- England v Argentina 9 September 2023
- England v Japan 17 September 2023
The Player may apply to take part in the Coaching Intervention Programme to substitute the final match of his/her sanction for a coaching intervention aimed at modifying specific techniques and technical issues that contributed to the foul play. Further information can be found here.
The player has the right of appeal within 48 hours of the issuing of the full written decision.
RUCK QUIZ:
England handed difficult pool in revised 2023 Rugby World Cup draw
World Rugby has already confirmed they will hold the pool draws for future Rugby World Cups at a later date, closer to the kick-off of upcoming tournaments.
This comes after criticism that the draws were taking place far too early, with world rankings at the time of the draw playing a crucial role in the teams’ seedings.
World Rugby will shake the pool draw up ahead of 2027 tournament to ensure more balances pools.
“The reason why the pool draws were made earlier was because of the surety of the host cities and knowing where teams were going, which is very important,” said Chairman of World rugby Bill Beaumont.
“The need for certainty and stability in the planning process influenced the decision to conduct the draw early”.
Nevertheless, Sir Bill Beaumont insisted that they will be making the draw for the 2027 edition in Australia as late as possible.
“What we will be doing is looking to have the pool draw as late as possible so that you get more consistency around the balance in a pool.
“The goal is to achieve a fairer distribution of teams within each pool, reducing potential disparities.
“When we go to Australia, we will be looking at how late we can make the pool draw.”
POOL A actual draw:
- France
- New Zealand
- Italy
- Uruguay
- Namibia
POOL A up to date draw
- France
- Argentina
- Samoa
- Uruguay
- Namibia