The red card for Sarah Beckett
“Let the punishment fit the crime” is a witty take by W. S. Gilbert in the Mikado on how not to process justice.
World Rugby is now caught up in far more serious matters. In all probability it will be facing court cases brought on behalf of ex-players who have suffered brain damage. If they win their claims, it could cost the game untold amounts of money and all the consequences that would inevitably follow.
The upshot of the red card for Sarah Beckett isn’t in that league, thank goodness. But her ban for three games reopens the question of finding the right and proper punishment for any given incident on the field. The term ‘croc-roll’ is now on every rugby follower’s lips. WR is determined to remove it from the game, as it has done for the spear tackle.
This decision leaves Beckett out of contention until the last match of the 2024 Six Nations against France.
The disciplinary committee noted her remorse and her good record, otherwise the ban might have been twice as long. We can all be sure of her good conduct, on and off the field, but she also told the panel that she didn’t think the incident was worthy of a red card. There can’t be many people who agree with her. The committee commended her good conduct at the meeting, but her assessment of the tackle must surely have jeopardised their view of her defence.
That sort of rejection of the referee and TMO’s decision normally counts heavily against a player, removing any hope of mitigation. Not in this case.
The FIR informs us that Michela Sillari suffered a broken leg. That sounds pretty terminal, but in the event Sillari did attempt to play on for a short while. To me that means the fracture was not of the most serious type.
I can insert a personal memory here. In the very first game of competitive rugby I played, I lasted about 20 minutes. Then an opponent landed on my leg and broke it. The referee, my teacher-in-charge, told me to stand up and try it out. Thank you, Sir. I spent two months in a long plaster; two more in a short one. That was long, long ago.
On balance, I agree with the voices that think that Beckett has got away with a very light sentence. If WR wants to be sure of reducing serious injury, then the punishment should indeed fit the crime. It should be irrelevant whether the injury causes a two-week or a six-month absence.
Nor can the legal team take into consideration the effect the injury and the ban have on the players concerned. But we all know that the consequences for England will be far less severe than for Italy. Sillari is a highly experienced and respected player, and Italy’s first-choice place kicker. She will be much missed.
Certainly all the Red Rose players will have to rethink their approach to tackling before next weekend. When we saw Helena Rowland commit a risky but less dangerous tackle near the end – England already streets ahead of the opposition – we couldn’t help wondering if they had been sensibly set up before the game.
