Women’s Rugby: Axelle Berthoumieu, 12-match ban for biting an Irish player.

Axelle Berthoumieu Appeals Suspension for Bite at Women’s Rugby World Cup

French rugby player Axelle Berthoumieu has admitted to biting Ireland’s Aoife Wafer during the Women’s Rugby World Cup quarter-final match, but has appealed her 12-match suspension. French captain Manaé Feleu is also appealing a three-match suspension, which could rule her out of the semi-final against England and the final or the third-place play-off. Berthoumieu’s admission came at a review hearing for foul play. The panel determined that he accepted that his bite merited a red card and that the off-field citation was justified. No action was taken against her on the field at that time. 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. World Rugby stated in a statement: “Upon reviewing the matter live, the TMO was unable to determine a clear and obvious foul and did not have the benefit of additional evidence submissions to corroborate.” Berthomieu was cited after the match by the citation 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 given 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 stated.

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.

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Berthomieu, 25 years old, 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. In her hearing, she accepted that there was foul play, but did not believe it deserved a citation. However, the panel found her guilty of head-to-head contact at high speed 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.