Revue de presse internet : SHAUN EDWARDS: Justice has been served for Owen Farrell. It is RIGHT that he has been cleared to play. Of course player safety is paramount but rugby is a collision sport

Justice has been served for Owen Farrell. I was one of the few people who thought his red card was wrong. It’s right that he’s been cleared to play.

We’re living in a world of slow-motion replays. These frame-by-frame pictures are so different to what players see on the pitch.

Things happen in a split second. If the ball carrier changes direction late – as we saw with Taine Basham – it’s almost impossible for the tackler to react.

People have got to start realising that. The post-match disciplinary system has worked and now I wish good luck to Owen moving forwards.

The thing I didn’t like about the incident at Twickenham was the way all the opposition players threw their hands in the air as soon to appeal. It happens all the time now, as soon as someone goes anywhere near the head. It’s like soccer, calling for red cards. Sorry, that’s not rugby for me. Let the referees do their job.

Rugby’s in a funny place around player safety. Of course player safety is paramount but the reality is it’s a collision sport. When we talking about tackling lower around the legs, that comes with risks too.

The chop tackle is great when you’re coming from the side of someone but if someone’s running directly at you and you hit your head on their knee then there’s a big chance you’ll get knocked out. 

For the World Cup, I’ve asked where the tackle target is if someone had a pick-and-go close to the try-line. The carrier’s head is the height of their hips so where are you supposed to hit? I’ve got no idea and I’ve still not had an answer.

Rugby’s a game of rules. It’s not a game for thugs. You’re not allowed to hit people in the head but sometimes you mistime things and get it wrong. Owen’s a world class player and I’m sure he practises tackle technique with Saracens and England. Mistakes will happen when you only have a millisecond to react.

Going into the World Cup, whoever manages to keep 15 players on the pitch will have a huge advantage. New Zealand are favourites for the tournament but whoever can keep 15 players on the pitch has got a chance. When we won the Six Nations last year, we didn’t get a single card. It’s a huge thing in modern day rugby.

Romain Ntamack’s injury is a shock to everyone

Our job at the World Cup got a little bit harder after we lost Romain Ntamack to a knee injury. 

It was a shock to everyone. Fabien Galthie told everyone and it was just a total shock. We thought it was a small injury but unfortunate the cruciate is a vital part of your body. 

He had a scan and as soon as you get the images back you know what’s wrong. There’s no guess work. It was bad news.

I feel for Romain because he’s a model pro in the way he looks after his body and prepares for games. You could feel the whole place drop their shoulders when we found out. He’s such a popular person, as well as being a great player who controls a lot of our game.

He’s a calming influence on our team; kicks at the right time, passes at the right time and he’s one of the best defensive 10s in the world. He’s a big lad who likes tackling. I feel for him and I feel for his family.

It’s a gut wrenching feeling to lose one of your best players and you feel for the lad himself.

It reminded me of my first Great Britain tour in 1988. I was 21 and all my life I’d trained to go on tour of Australia. I injured my knee in the first game against Papua New Guinea and after that I had to go home. It still bothers me to this day.

Someone else is going to have to step in and we’ll just have to do our best. There’s no doubt there’s been an air of despondency around the place. It’s on us coaches now to get the players back up as quickly as possible.

World Cup draw has ended up lopsided  

There’s not long to go now. In the back of our minds, we’ve been preparing for the New Zealand game for two or three months. 

It’s a very important game but probably more important is the Italy game in round two. If it doesn’t go our way against New Zealand, that Italy game is absolutely vital. It’s the same for Ireland, when they face Scotland after South Africa.

New Zealand have been improving for the last year, since they changed the forwards coach and got a new front row in. They’re on a fantastic run but we’ve had some very good spells too.

The draw’s ended up a bit lopsided. It does seem a little bit unfair that the top five teams are on the same side of the draw but that’s the hand we’ve been dealt. As we’re seeing, we just have to deal with the challenges in front of us.