There was uproar among many rugby fans this week after it was announced that Owen Farrell had seen his red card picked up against Wales last week rescinded, with the England captain escaping any further punishment ahead of the World Cup next month.
His tackle on Taine Basham seemed like a clearcut example of the type of incident that the authorities are looking to clamp down on. It was reckless, connecting with the head of an opponent with massive force. He was sent off on the day, with many expecting him to serve a ban of five matches or more due to his history of similar offences.
However, the Six Nations opted to overturn the decision altogether, with Farrell immediately allowed to return to playing. That decision was a hugely controversial one, with both supporters and World Rugby baffled by the move.
Andy Farrell not happy over reaction to son avoiding ban
While many were outraged by the decision to not ban Owen Farrell for further games, some within his inner circle felt the reaction to the decision went too far.
Andy Farrell is fully focused on his duties as Ireland head coach at the moment, but he would have been keeping a close eye on the furore surrounding his son in recent days.
Speaking ahead of Ireland's game against England this weekend, he said that while he obviously had a vested interest in the matter, he labelled much of the discourse around it as 'disgusting'.
"Absolutely disgusting"
Ireland head coach Andy Farrell says 'circus' around son Owen's disciplinary action is 'disgusting'.#BBCRugbyUnion pic.twitter.com/Yr6s3Dk9p4— BBC SPORT NI (@BBCSPORTNI) August 17, 2023
Whatever I say is probably flawed. When you're asking someone about their son, it's going to be flawed.
I don’t normally say too much because of that reason about my son, but what I probably would say is at this moment in time is that the circus that gone around all of this is absolutely disgusting, in my opinion. Disgusting.
I suppose those people that have loved their time in the sun get a few more days to keep going at that.
The dynamic around Andy Farrell consistently coming up against his son during his time with Ireland has been a strange one at times, most notably early on after he became part of Joe Schmidt's staff. While he has always remained fully professional when coming up against England, it is clear that he is not happy with some of the comments made in recent days.
Owen Farrell was free to play in Dublin this weekend, although he has not been included in the England matchday squad by head coach Steve Borthwick.
Ireland will be hoping for a win in their final game in front of home supporters ahead of the World Cup, with a warmup against Samoa also to come before they begin their campaign against Romania on September 9th.
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