Women’s Rugby World Cup: 12-match ban for Berthoumieu for biting

Axelle Berthoumieu Appeals Suspension for Biting Irish Player

French rugby player Axelle Berthoumieu admitted to biting Ireland’s Aoife Wafer during the Women’s Rugby World Cup quarter-final match, but appealed her 12-match suspension this Monday. France captain Manaé Feleu is also appealing a three-match suspension, which could rule her out of the World Cup semi-final against England and the final or third-place play-off. The admission of Berthoumieu occurred in a review hearing for foul play. The panel affirmed that the player accepted that her bite deserved a red card and that the off-field citation was justified. At the time of the incident, no action was taken against her in the field. Wafer accused Berthoumieu of biting his arm during France’s 18-13 victory on Sunday in Exeter. The referee referred the incident to the Television Match Official (TMO) to review the images.

Upon reviewing the matter live, the TMO could not determine a clear and obvious foul and did not have the contribution of additional evidence to corroborate.

World Rugby

Berthomieu was cited after the match by the citing commissioner.

For the sanction, the panel began the suspension in 18 games and deducted six.

Although the player acknowledged the foul play and expressed remorse, full mitigation was not granted due to the seriousness of the player’s actions and the fact that the player had the opportunity not to continue with the action.

World Rugby

Berthomieu appealed against the length of the 12-match suspension, which would keep her out of the rest of the World Cup and prevent her from playing until March 1st. Your appeal will be heard on Tuesday. The 25-year-old player, Berthomieu, has played 27 matches since her debut in 2019, including France’s four matches in this World Cup, the first for her. Feleu, who leads Les Bleues in their second World Cup, was cited for a dangerous tackle that was not sanctioned on the field. At her hearing, she accepted that there was foul play, but did not believe it deserved a citation. But the panel found her guilty of high-speed, unmitigated head-to-head contact. Your appeal will also be heard on Tuesday against a suspension that threatens to be a major blow to France’s title hopes.