Richie Mo'unga. New Zealand All Blacks training at Mt Smart Stadium training field, Auckland, New Zealand on Thursday 13 July 2023 ahead of the Rugby Championship game against South Africa. Mandatory credit: Alan Lee / www.photosport.nz Photo: Alan Lee / www.photosport.nz
All Blacks first-five Richie Mo'unga believes England captain Owen Farrell should not have escaped punishment after being sent off for a dangerous tackle.
Mo'unga has slammed the decision by the Six Nations Judicial Committee to overturn his red card.
The Committee agreed with the first-five that his no-arms tackle, in which his shoulder smashed into the face of Wales forward Taine Basham last weekend, only warranted a yellow card.
Owen Farrell has been cleared, for this tackle. Did I just read that correctly? What in the actual fudge bucket. Speechless. pic.twitter.com/c26hwm9Skf
— Darren (@SaffasRugby) August 15, 2023
Farrell was banned for four games earlier this season for a dangerous tackle while playing in the English Premiership for Saracens and has a history of suspensions related to his tackle technique.
World Rugby have said they will appeal the Six Nations panel decision to let Farrell off scot free, with the appeal to be heard early next week.
As it stands, Farrell is free to play all of England's games at the World Cup in France, which starts next month.
By contrast Tonga player, ex All Black George Moala, was given a ten week ban for a tip tackle during their recent match against Canada, ruling him out of the entire World Cup.
Mo'unga said the inconsistency has to stop.
"It's so disappointing that George Moala got ten weeks. My heart just breaks for him, so close to going to a World Cup. With him having a clean history and getting ten weeks, I thought that was pretty harsh.
"Then the Farrell incident after, someone who has history and who has been banned earlier this year, for them to turn around and say he's got a zero week ban, it's a slap in the face."
The decisions have left Pacific Island players fuming.
Moala's Tonga teammate Pita Ahki and former All Blacks Steven Luatua and Lima Sopoaga, who will play for Samoa at the World Cup, were among many to make their frustration's clear on social media, while player welfare advocates claimed it set a poor example and was at odds World Rugby's push to decrease the amount of head injuries in the game.
10 weeks for this though. Seems fair considering the bans being handed out at the minute. Oh wait……#Joke https://t.co/6YYqQI2Xo7
— Lima Sopoaga (@LimaSopoaga) August 15, 2023
The long-term affects of concussion on players has been a contentious issue in recent years with former All Black prop Carl Hayman one of nearly 400 former rugby union rugby league and football players taking legal action against sports governing bodies over claims they suffered brain injuries during their careers.
Mo'unga is also incensed by the glaring differences between Moala and Farrell's punishments and said the decisions had angered many of his All Blacks teammates.
"There are boys in this (All Blacks) camp who feel for him (Moala) deeply and a lot of Pacific Island boys in the camp who are pretty gutted about that scenario and the way it's unfolded.
"It seems there's a double standard going on, especially with the tier two teams and the Pacific Island nations around how they get judged or how they get treated.
"You look at someone like Farrell and I'm not having a go at him personally, he's a good man and I adore his skillset and the way he plays footy, but the different way that he and Moala have been judged, is shocking to be honest."
And Mo'unga fears the inconsistencies between punishments could affect his and the All Blacks World Cup campaign.
"It makes me more frightened for things in the future around this sort of stuff and how two teams or players can be treated so differently.
"If I was to do a shoulder tackle I honestly don't what would happen because the punishments or judgements are so inconsistent."
