Emerick appeal fails

Paul Emerick’s World Cup is over after the USA centre failed in his appeal to overturn a five-match suspension.

Emerick received the ban after being found guilty of a dangerous tackle on England fly-half Olly Barkley in the USA’s 28-10 defeat last Saturday.

He has already had to sit out Wednesday’s defeat to Tonga and will also now miss the USA’s forthcoming pool matches against Samoa and South Africa.

The original disciplinary verdict deemed Emerick’s tackle to have been “premeditated” and “intentional”.

The judicial officer Professor Lorne Crerar ruled: “There was a deliberate tipping motion in the tackle with an element of force driving the opposing player in a downward motion.”

The three-man appeals committee upheld that judgement and rubber-stamped the five-match ban.

An official statement read: “The appeal committee was satisfied that the tackle in question was very dangerous and, in the circumstances, a five-week suspension was the correct sanction.”

Emerick would only be able to play again at this World Cup if the USA were to defy all the odds and reach the final.