The England team will find out later tonight the consequences for their World Cup group campaign caused by Billy Vunipola and Owen Farrell being summoned to face rugby’s judiciary.
Farrell will be facing an independent disciplinary panel for the second time in a week after World Rugby appealed the decision to overturn his red card for a high challenge against Wales.
Both players are facing six-week bans that can be reduced for mitigation but with just one match left until the World Cup – against Fiji on Saturday – any suspension will impact their quest to qualify from Pool D and most importantly their key opening fixture against Argentina on September 9.
Vunipola is the squad’s only specialist number eight while Farrell is its captain, talisman and goalkicker, making the duo influential personnel who Steve Borthwick can not afford to lose.
Each player was shown a yellow card that was upgraded to red by the bunker review system after making similar tackles in a collapse of England defensive discipline.
Vunipola’s came on Saturday during a 29-10 rout by Ireland in Dublin, the Saracens back row clattering into Andrew Porter’s head with his shoulder.
A week earlier Farrell had ploughed into Taine Basham’s head, causing the Wales flanker to fail an HIA.
The original disciplinary hearing cleared Farrell, finding mitigation in a late change in dynamics by Basham, but an outcry followed the failure to issue a ban and World Rugby appealed.
[Source: Pitman Blog]
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