KEVIN MCCALLUM: Rugby sinks in farce as Farrell is freed to sin again

It took Agustin Pichot, the former captain of Argentina, just four words to sum up the most dumbfounding decision in rugby in years: “A Joke. Once more.”

It took most of the rest of the rugby-loving world two words to define a a ruling so farcical it could have been a doctoral thesis on farce at the University of Farce in Farceville. Those two words? Owen Farcell ... sorry, Farrell.

It took the independent judiciary panel formed by the Six Nations organisation just a handful of paragraphs to reach a ruling that took the obvious and dissected it into oblivion. They bent space and time, warped vectors and angles, and somehow decided that the recidivist had not sinned yet again after his high hit to the head of Wales’ Taine Basham in the 63rd minute of the Test at Twickenham this Saturday past.

Red became yellow. Farrell was freed to sin again. Swing low, sweet charlatans. Hell, the only surprise was that Basham, who failed a Head Injury Assessment test, was not cited for head-butting Farrell’s shoulder.

It was, opined the BBC, a decision that divided rugby, which it did not. The majority of the rugby world was united in their condemnation of the decision to let Farrell off the hook. It has shaken the sport to its core, highlighting the contradictions, confusion and nonsensical nature of how rugby is run with decisions taken on a whim and a player, where some nations are seen as more equal than others.

To clear one thing up. The panel was not a World Rugby panel. The Six Nations has jurisdiction over these warm-up games. It was they who appointed the three Australians who looked at the Farrell incident. Adam Casselden, a Sydney-based lawyer who specialises in commercial, common and transportation law, was the chair. He has been legal counsel for Rugby Australia in the past and was the judicial officer at the 2015 World Cup. John Langford and David Croft, the other two blind mice, were once Wallaby forwards.

How did Farrell get off? England do not go to a gunfight with a knife. As Steve Borthwick, the England coach, was fielding questions about Farrell, standing at the back of the press conference room, wearing a team-issue England suit, was Richard Smith KC.

As Will Kelleher wrote in the Sunday Times: “After Owen Farrell’s red card against Wales the most important member of Steve Borthwick’s England squad may well be Richard Smith KC.”

Smith was appointed by Sir Clive Woodward as part of the England set-up in 2002. That would be the same Woodward who wrote in his Daily Mail column: “The mind-boggling decision to rescind Owen Farrell’s red card is yet another example of rugby shooting itself in the foot. It has made the game a complete and utter laughing stock. When I first heard Farrell had been cleared to play with immediate effect, I was lost for words and just totally dumbfounded. My reaction was: ‘You have got to be joking?’ ”

A day later and Woodward was bragging about how he had brought Smith into the fold. Farrell has been hitting high, late and armless for years. Basham, Jack Clement, Jasper Wiese, Faf de Klerk, Izack Rodda, André Esterhuizen, Dan Robson, Matt Giteau, Anthony Watson and Conor Murray are on the long list those on the end of a Farrell shoulder.

England defence coach Kevin Sinfield tried to compare Farrell’s Basham hit to David Beckham’s red card against Argentina in 1998, which is a stretch. Beckham got red. Farrell did not.

“We’ve had one incident. I understand some of the noise. Some of it I don’t get, either. You guys have tried to hang him when it’s one poorly timed tackle. We need to get some balance to this. If it’s Owen I think the heat that is generated is far greater than if it was anyone else,” said Sinfield. One? Just the one?

Smith KC must have known he would have to defend Farrell for just this very thing. He must have been working on the “sudden and significant change in direction from the ball carrier” defence since 2012, when Farrell made his debut.

Smith KC must be damn good. He may have to be damn good again if the rumours that World Rugby may appeal the decision are true. At the time of writing, nothing has been forthcoming from the world body. Perhaps they will do nothing, which, as Pichot reminds us is a joke. Once more.

• World Rugby said on Thursday it will appeal a Six Nations Rugby independent Judicial Committee decision to overturn Farrell's red card. Farrell was expected to receive a minimum four-game suspension for the act of foul play. But he was surprisingly let off the hook by the Judicial Committee on Wednesday, who agreed with the flyhalf that the offence warranted a yellow card only.