Wasps head coach Lee Blackett has surprisingly showed support for Owen Farrell after he was sent off for a horrific tackle on his player Charlie Atkinson.
The scores were level at Allianz Park when the England captain’s swinging arm connected with the head of 18-year-old youngster.
He said: “Charlie [Atkinson] is up and talking. You know Owen, he is physical but he didn’t mean it.
Shocking swinging arm from Owen Farrell and deserved a red card. Decent ban coming too, I talked about his tackle technique on @TheRugbyPod previously and it was a case of when this happened not if….. pic.twitter.com/kpnkqjETrp
— Andy Goode (@AndyGoode10) September 5, 2020
“You could see instantly afterwards and unfortunately Owen got that one wrong.
“We know Owen is not that type of player – he plays on the edge but genuinely never goes over that edge. He got that slightly wrong.”
Saracens boss Mark McCall, who will almost certainly be without Farrell for the Heineken Champions Cup quarter-final against Leinster later this month, also defended the England captain.
He said: “I watched it live but have not watched it on the video. He was chasing his own kick and was desperate to make a tackle and clearly got it wrong and he got his red card.
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“It is what it is. He could easily have been out of the Leinster came for another reason – injury or whatever. He missed the last quarter-final of the Champions Cup because his wife was having their first child. We have got plenty of good backs at the club so we will just rearrange our back line a little bit and get on with it.
“He works really hard on all parts of game and he has improved in that area. Today’s incident was a little bit different because he was chasing a kick and trying to make a difference to his team. We hope the player he hit is okay, I think he was, it is a real shame.”
JOIN THE RUCK:
The highest paid players at every Gallagher Premiership club
Bath: Taulupe Faletau – £550,000
Bristol Bears: Charles Piutau – £1m
The former All Black full-back or wing, who surprised many by leaving New Zealand before reaching the peak of his powers, has allegedly become British rugby’s first million pound man.
Exeter Chiefs: Stuart Hogg – £500,000
The fullback signed a new deal recently, accepting a slight pay-cut.
Gloucester Rugby: Danny Cipriani – £380,000
The fly-half was on £190,000 to £200,000, which was a relatively modest wage for a player of his calibre and experience. It’s been reported that his new deal is closer to the £400,000 Toulon offered him.
CONTINUES ON PAGE 2
Harlequins: Mike Brown (£300,000)
The three England stars remain the highest paid players at the Stoop.
Leicester Tigers: Manu Tuilagi – £460,000
with the England centre’s appearances for club Leicester and country sporadic through a variety of ailments.
London Irish: Paddy Jackson – £400,000
The number 10 will reportedly earn more than his ex-international teammate, who’ll also pocket a hefty £350,000 wage packet.
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Newcastle Falcons: Toby Flood – £250,000
Northampton Saints: Dan Biggar – £500,000
Wales’ ‘Governor’ was a catalyst for the Ospreys, being a superb club man and racking up a points record. But he decided to sample life “outside the goldfish bowl” of Wales with a big money offer enticing him to Northampton Saints.
Sale Sharks: Manu Tuilagi – £350,000
The centre took a £100,000 paycut to join the Sharks after leaving Leicester. He is reportedly set to take Tigers to court to recoup his loss of earnings.
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Saracens: Owen Farrell – £750,000
Farrell will remain at the club that he has called ‘home’ since the age of 14 until at least 2022, earning himself a hefty pay-rise in the process. His new deal means he will now earn in excess of £750,000 a season, bringing him in line with some of the highest paid players in the world.
Wasps: Joe Launchbury – £420,000
The England second-row became the clubs highest paid player after extending his contract earlier this season.
Worcester Warriors: Matt Kvesic
The local boy has returned to Sixways following successful stints with Gloucester and Exeter Chiefs.
