England and Saracens playmaker Owen Farrell has come under fire for an apparent shoulder charge, with some feeling he was lucky not to be given his marching orders.
The incident happened in the English Premiership match between Sarries and Worcester on Saturday, the England skipper deemed lucky to only concede a penalty after making contact with the neck area of Warriors wing Tom Howe.
Referee Craig Maxwell-Keys ruled after viewing the TMO footage that Farrell had started low and risen up, thus bringing “mitigating circumstances” into play, RugbyPass reports.
However, it's not the first time Farrell's tackling technique has come under scrutiny.
He had previously come under fire for a hit on Springboks' star Andre Esterhuizen a Twickenham autumn international, which was deemed to be a fair tackle by referee Angus Gardner and TMO Olly Holmes.
There was also an incident three weeks later when Farrell's no-arms tackle on Izack Rodda also went unpunished in England’s victory over Australia, with the Wallabies angry they had not been awarded a penalty try.
As they watched Saturday's action unfold at club level, TV viewers were scratching their heads as to how the new Farrell incident did not warrant a harsher punishment.
Worcester lock Anton Bresler received a yellow card just minutes after for a clear-out on Mako Vunipola.
The game was a one-sided affair, ending 62-5 to the hosts at Allianz Park.
