The Scotland hooker Ross Ford and lock Jonny Gray have been cleared to play with immediate effect after Scottish Rugby successfully appealed against their three-week suspensions.
The forwards were initially handed the bans after a two-man tackle on Samoa’s Jack Lam and will be available for Sunday’s World Cup quarter-final with Australia.
Ford and Gray were banned after they were found guilty by the independent judicial officer, Christopher Quinlan QC, of a dangerous tackle when Lam’s head was driven into the ground at a ruck clear-out during last Saturday’s final Pool B match in Newcastle.
Quinlan raised eyebrows, though, when he chose to ignore the views of the match referee, Jaco Peyper, who saw the incident but decided it did not pose a risk to the flanker.
The decision to ban the duo angered Scotland, with their chief executive, Mark Dodson, labelling the punishment “unduly harsh”. However, when it announced its decision to appeal, Scottish Rugby made it clear it was challenging only the length of the punishment.
But there was better news when World Rugby announced its appeal verdict on Saturday afternoon, after a hearing in central London, reversing the original decision.
In a statement, the governing body said: “Ross Ford and Jonny Gray (Scotland) are free to resume playing with immediate effect after successfully appealing against their three-week suspension for acts of foul play contrary to Law 10.4(j) (dangerous tackles).
“The appeal took place today at the London offices of the official law firm for Rugby World Cup 2015 Clifford Chance and was heard by an appeal committee, chaired by the Honourable Justice Lex Mpati (South Africa), sitting with Justice Graeme Mew (Canada) and Robbie Deans (New Zealand).
“Having conducted a detailed review of all the evidence, including new submissions from the players and their representatives, along with all available camera angles, the appeal committee dismissed the finding that the players had committed an act of foul play as the player had not been dropped or driven and therefore the tackle was not dangerous. The players are therefore free to play again immediately.”
