Scott Barrett to face committee to decide World Cup fate : PlanetRugby

All Blacks lock Scott Barrett could miss New Zealand’s Rugby World Cup opener against France following his sending off on Friday.

World Rugby confirmed that Barrett will face an independent judicial committee on Monday, August 28, after he was red-carded at Twickenham in the Rugby World Cup warm-up match.

New Zealand went on to lose the game 35-7, the biggest defeat in their history.

Why Barrett is facing the committee

The second-rower’s red card was a result of two yellow cards issued on the night.

The first was contrary to Law 9.8 for repeated team infringements.

The second was for Law 9.20(a): “A player must not charge into a ruck or maul. Charging includes any contact made without binding onto another player in the ruck or maul.”

? The incident which resulted in Scott Barrett’s second yellow card and the All Blacks being reduced to 14 men for the rest of the game.pic.twitter.com/JvzSRYjnHZ

— Planet Rugby (@PlanetRugby) August 25, 2023

The independent judicial committee will be chaired by Sir James Dingemans (England), joined by former international Olly Kohn (Wales) and former referee Val Toma (Romania).

The Foul Play Review Officer during the game judged that Barrett’s second yellow card did not meet the red card threshold.

However, if the panel disagrees, Barrett could face a lower-end suspension of two matches with a mid-range ban starting at six weeks.

Any kind of suspension will leave the All Blacks short on locks for the opener, as Ian Foster included just four second-rowers in his squad for the Rugby World Cup.

Brodie Retallick is one of those locks, but the veteran forward will not be fit in time for the clash at the Stade de France.

This would leave just Sam Whitelock and Tupou Vaa’i as the only two second-rowers. Blindside Shannon Frizell could also fill the role but he is also not likely to be available for the clash as he recovers from a hamstring injury.

Previous bans

All Blacks forward Barrett is in danger of missing the opener against France as he will not be eligible for a full mitigation on any sanction.

In 2019, he was banned for three weeks following his red card in the first Bledisloe Cup Test against Australia for a no-arms charge on Wallabies captain Michael Hooper.

Last year, during the Super Rugby Pacific season, he was banned for four weeks after he was red-carded for a high tackle on Blues prop Alex Hodgman.

READ MORE: All Blacks v Springboks: Five takeaways from Rugby World Cup warm-up clash as South Africa dominate at Twickenham