USA flanker John Quill is flying home from the Rugby World Cup in Japan following a dangerous tackle that saw him become the first player of the tournament to be red carded.
“Quill will fly home and miss the remainder of #RWC2019 pool play,” said the USA Rugby team on its Twitter feed.
Quill’s shoulder charge to the head of England’s Owen Farrell resulted in the American being dismissed midway through the second half of Thursday’s game, which the USA lost 45-7.
The 29-year-old faced a disciplinary panel on Friday and admitted that he had committed foul play. An initial six-week suspension was reduced to three after Quill’s “good character and conduct at the hearing” was taken into account, according to World Rugby.
The decision means Quill misses the remainder of USA’s pool games and will now return to the US.
Reckless, head-high tackles have been a topic of hot discussion at the tournament so far, which is only a week old. Of the five players cited, only Quill was sent off; Lee-Lo and Matu’u received yellow cards, while Hodge and Francis escaped on-field punishment.
Earlier this week World Rugby issued a statement calling for the standard of refereeing in the tournament to be improved. Quill is the first American to be red carded at a Rugby World Cup and the 18th player in the tournament’s history.
By George Ramsay, CNN
