LONDON (AP) — England now has two players banned for the start of the rugby World Cup next month after Billy Vunipola was given a three-week suspension Wednesday for a dangerous tackle.
Vunipola was sanctioned by an independent tribunal for his tackle on Ireland’s Andrew Porter in a warmup game in Dublin on Sunday. He was sent to the sin bin but the sanction was upgraded to a red card on review.
The No. 8 will sit out England’s warmup game against Fiji in London on Saturday and the World Cup opener against Argentina on Sept. 9 in Marseille, France.
Vunipola can avoid a ban for the second tournament game, against Japan on Sept. 17 in Nice, if he attends a remedial tackle school.
England captain Owen Farrell is already banned for the first two World Cup games in a separate investigation of a dangerous tackle against Wales.
The English rugby federation said Vunipola avoided a six-week ban because the three tribunal judges weighed “his exemplary previous record, immediate apology and remorse, and noted the absence of any aggravating factors.”
At the video hearing held Tuesday, Vunipola admitted his shoulder-led tackle that struck Porter on the head was a red card offense.
Tackle school, or the “coaching intervention program,” can be taken once in a player’s career to modify the specific techniques and technical issues that lead to illegal hits.
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AP rugby: https://apnews.com/hub/rugby
