Discipline key to World Cup progress, says Ireland boss Andy Farrell as Owen awaits appeal ruling

Andy Farrell says rugby bosses provide more clarity around dangerous challenges and the disciplinary processes so that players, coaches and referees are on the same hymn sheet.

The Ireland head coach was addressing the media yesterday soon after the news broke that World Rugby had decided to appeal an independent disciplinary committee's decision to overturn a red card shown to England skipper Owen Farrell, son of Andy, against Wales last Saturday.

The Saracens out-half was initially shown a yellow card for the high challenge but after a bunker review, it was upgraded to red.

Large scale condemnation from the wider rugby community then followed the committee’s decision to downgrade the red card back to yellow.

The 31-year-old Lions fly-half has served three bans since 2018 and World Rugby’s appeal to Six Nations, the organisers of the Summer Nations Series, will be held early next week.

If the appeal is successful Farrell looks likely to face a ban that could rule him out of some of England's World Cup campaign, which begins against Argentina on 9 September.

"The problem here is the judiciary, who basically went completely against the grain for what we’ve been seeing for the last couple of years for accepted best practice and behaviour...it defies logic," former Ireland hooker Bernard Jackman told RTÉ 2fm’s Game On yesterday.

Whatever the outcome, the back-and-forth nature of the process has put the focus on rugby’s arcane disciplinary processes and Farrell says it’s important that matters are clarified.

"Well, it is [going to cost a team in a big match sometime]. We don’t just talk about discipline every week, we talk about it every day, because it’s vitally important," said the 48-year-old former England centre.

"Some people