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Rugby World Cup 2019 is over for the suspended John Quill. The Eagles forward started at flanker in Thursday’s match against England in Kobe. He was red carded in the second half for foul play and subsequently appeared before an independent judiciary committee earlier today having breached Law 9.13 (dangerous tackle).
The committee, chaired by Nigel Hampton QC (New Zealand) with former Scotland Head Coach Frank Hadden, and former international referee Valeriu Toma (Romania), heard the case, considering all the available evidence, including multiple broadcast angles and submissions from the player and his representative.
Quill admitted that he had committed an act of foul play worthy of a red card. In determining the sanction, the committee deemed that:
- There was an act of foul play (which was reckless, rather than deliberate)
- The act of foul play was a shoulder charge
- There was contact with the head
- There was a high degree of danger; and
- There were not sufficient mitigating factors to reduce the sanction from a red card to a yellow card
Given the above outcomes, the committee applied World Rugby’s mandatory minimum mid-range entry point, which was introduced in 2017 to mitigate protect player welfare, deter high contact and prevent head injuries. This resulted in a starting point of a six-week suspension.
Based on Quill’s good character and conduct at the hearing, the committee reduced the six-week entry point by three weeks, resulting in a sanction of three weeks, which equates to three matches in the context of the Rugby World Cup.
What this means is that unless the Eagles win their remaining matches Quill is out of the remainder of the RWC. The Eagles face France, Argentina, and Tonga and require three wins to qualify for the Quarter Finals. Quill’s suspension will end at midnight on 13 October, the final day of the pool stage.
