Former Ireland player Ronan O'Gara has admitted he has sympathy for Owen Farrell in the wake of the tackle saga.
Owen Farrell, who serves as the England captain and plays as the country's starting out-half, initially received a yellow card for a shoulder-led tackle to the head of Wales' Taine Basham during their game last week. However, the bunker review system subsequently upgraded the sanction to a red card.
Despite expectations that the England captain might face a ban preventing his participation at the beginning of the World Cup, a disciplinary hearing reached a different verdict. The offense was deemed deserving of a sin-binning only, thus overturning any potential ban.
It has also come to light that World Rugby is set to review the decision to overturn the red card in the coming days.
Several pundits, including Keith Wood and Alan Quinlan, have offered their strong opinions on the situation. Wood described Farrell's tackle as shit**, while Quinlan expressed his belief that there will be backlash over the decision to rescind the red card.
England will to face Ireland this Saturday in Dublin for a warm-up game. However, due to the ongoing saga, Farrell has been excluded from the squad and replaced by George Ford.
Owen's father Andy, who is the head coach of Ireland, also described the furore around his son as a 'circus' and 'disgusting'.
'No one has been put through the grind like this.'
'When I played the game, people used to stamp on people's heads.'
Ronan O'Gara gives his reaction to Owen Farrell's disciplinary process since his red card was rescinded. pic.twitter.com/9QDUd5qApk— Off The Ball (@offtheball) August 18, 2023
"What I probably would say at this moment in time is that the circus that has gone around all of this is absolutely disgusting - in my opinion, disgusting," he said on Thursday.
"And I suppose those people who have loved their time in the sun get a few more days to keep going at that."
O'Gara, who went through his fair share of knocks and bumps, offered his own take on the issue and said that the game is in a far better place than it was when he played all those years ago.
"No one has been put through the grind like this," he said on Off the Ball.
"The game is getting safer, there are cameras everywhere. I've heard people saying, 'I don't want my son playing the game if that is where it's going.'
"When I played the game, people used to stamp on each other's heads. That wasn't a rarity.
"Players' welfare is of the utmost importance. There's no place in the game for headshots; I think the areas and the progression around concussion have been so positive.
"I think everyone expected Owen to miss a game or two and move on. But now it's all back in the melting pot.
"Mentally it must be very, very difficult for him. I think his mental welfare has to be taken into account too.
"I think it all could have been avoided by him getting a little suspension, and everybody moves on."
