Usually in the quarter finals round of a Rugby World Cup, it’s the fans biting their nails, not players on the field chomping their teeth on another player…
But that’s what went down in France’s quarter-final 18-13 win against Ireland in Exeter, England.
France flanker Axelle Berthoumieu has admitted to biting Ireland’s Aoife Wafer during the match - but she’s pushing back on the hefty 12-match suspension she copped for it.
Berthoumieu owned up at a foul play review hearing, where the panel ruled the bite was red card-worthy. No action was taken during the match, though - which fans are NOT stoked about.
Commenting under the clip of the incident, one user wrote: “In the modern game that is inexcusable…”
Another added: “People saying 'Oh the ref wouldn't have seen it' as if she wasn't literally looking straight at it, plus the TMO has the exact same angle we all saw it on!”
“It wasn’t missed, it was ignored,” a third said.
On the field, you can clearly see Wafer accusing Berthoumieu of biting her arm during France’s win in Exeter.
The ref sent it upstairs, but World Rugby later explained the TMO couldn’t find “clear and obvious foul play” in real time.
It was later decided by an independent Foul Play Review Committee that Berthoumieu would face a suspension that originally started at 18 games before being cut back to 12.
“Although the player acknowledged the foul play and was remorseful, full mitigation was not given due to the seriousness of the player’s actions, and that the player had the opportunity not to continue with the action,” World Rugby said.
The ban rules Berthoumieu out for the rest of the World Cup and she won’t be free to play until March 1st - unless she pulls off a successful appeal today.
