Rugby: 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. 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. Berthoumieu’s admission came during a review hearing for foul play. The panel indicated that she accepted that her bite merited a red card and that the off-field citation was justified. No action was taken against her in the field at that time. Wafer accused Berthoumieu of biting her arm during France’s 18-13 victory on Sunday in Exeter. The referee referred the incident to the Television Match Official to review the footage. World Rugby stated in a statement: “Upon reviewing the matter live, the TMO was unable to determine clear and obvious foul play and did not have the benefit of additional evidence submissions to corroborate.” Berthomieu was cited after the match by the citation commissioner.
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. At 25 years old, 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 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. But 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 harsh 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,” said World Rugby.
