Scandal at the Women’s Rugby World Cup: Berthoumieu Appeals Suspension for Bite
French player Axelle Berthoumieu admitted to biting Ireland’s Aoife Wafer during the Women’s Rugby World Cup quarter-final match, but has appealed her 12-match suspension. France captain Manaé Feleu is also appealing a three-match suspension. This situation could leave her out of the semi-final against England and the final or the third-place match. Berthoumieu admitted in a foul play review hearing that his bite deserved a red card and the off-field sanction was justified. The incident occurred during France’s 18-13 victory over Ireland on Sunday in Exeter. The referee referred the incident to the Television Match Official (TMO) to review the footage.Berthomieu was cited after the match by the citation commissioner.Upon reviewing the live incident, the TMO could not determine clear and obvious foul play and did not have the benefit of additional evidence presentations to corroborate.
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 accumulated 27 international 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 her second World Cup, was cited for a dangerous tackle that was not sanctioned on the field. In her hearing, she accepted that there was foul play, but did not believe it deserved a citation. The panel found her guilty of high-speed head-to-head contact without mitigation. Your appeal will also be heard on Tuesday against a suspension that threatens to be a major blow to France’s title hopes.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
