Tackling the Ferris issue
Ferris was sin-binned in the final minutes of the February 5 clash by English referee Wayne Barnes for an alleged high tackle on the Welsh number 5 Ian Evans. Leigh Halfpenny’s resultant penalty secured at 23-21 victory for the visitors at the Aviva Stadium.
Three days later the independent Six Nations Disciplinary Committee, chaired by Antony Davies (England) together with Douglas Hunter (Scotland) and John Doubleday (England) met to consider a citing complaint under Law 10.4(j) by Achille Reali (Italy) the independent Citing Commissioner appointed for the game in Dublin. The committee did not uphold the citing.
However, in an unusual departure Six Nations officials yesterday released paperwork from the Ferris hearing and from fellow cited player Bradley Davies who incurred a seven-week ban for his ‘tip tackle’ on Ireland’s Donnacha Ryan.
The disciplinary committee arrived at the unanimous conclusion that “the essential dynamic of the contact was primarily sideways and in the horizontal plane. Unanimously we dismiss the citing. We (however) wish to make it clear that there is no express or implied criticism of the referee or citing office. The referee had the opportunity of observing the tackle once only in real time and had to make an instantaneous decision. If he had the luxury of replaying, reviewing, analysing and dissection with unlimited time to do so, he may well have come to a different decision.”
Ferris was accompanied to the London meeting by IRFU legal adviser, former Ireland number eight and distinguished Dublin solicitor Donal Spring. Spring poured cold water on the claims of both the citing commissioner’s and the referee made during the hearing.
Reali maintained: “Ferris lifted Wales 5 (Ian Gough) right leg from the ground and tipped him over the horizontal and drove him into the ground still holding the ball.”
Barnes, who gave evidence by telephone, stated: “Wales 5 was lifted by a single leg with his hips over the shoulder line, in other words beyond the horizontal. There was no question of any spearing or driving to the ground. My assessment at the time was that it was a dangerous tackle and required a penalty and a yellow card.”
However Spring rejected those opinions and expressed concern that there was a lack of distinction between what was a legitimate tackle within the laws of the game and what was now being construed as dangerous play.
He said: “My submission is that the player had not committed any foul play, let alone the one set out in the citing report.
“There seemed to be a lack of distinction between what was a legitimate tackle within the laws and what was now being construed as dangerous play. The objective of most tackles was indeed to put the player in the horizontal plane in order to take him to ground.
“The absence of any adverse reaction from Wales 5 corroborated the player’s view that this was nothing other than a legitimate tackle within the laws of the game. There was no evidence of driving to the ground or dropping, which Mr Barnes now seems to accept.”
Meanwhile Heineken Cup champions Leinster look set for a sell-out quarter final with Cardiff Blues at the Aviva Stadium on April 7.
There are less than 10,000 tickets available for the fixture, a stark contrast to the last time the clubs met in the knockout stage in 1996 when Cardiff won at Lansdowne Road (23-15) watched by 7,000 people.
