England full-back Freddie Steward has been cleared to play after his red card in Saturday’s Six Nations defeat by Ireland was overturned.
Steward appeared before a virtual disciplinary hearing on Tuesday night for a dangerous challenge to the head of Hugo Keenan that ended the full-back’s afternoon at the Aviva Stadium.
However, while it was decided the tackle was an act of foul play, the panel felt there were sufficient mitigating circumstances to view it as a yellow card offence only.
England’s frustration at the on-field decision by referee Jaco Peyper will have only increased knowing that Steward should have only sat out just 10 minutes of the game rather than the entire second-half.
Steve Borthwick’s men showed resolve in the face of the Leicester full-back’s dismissal, which drew an incredulous “Red card?!” response from Owen Farrell, before being over-run 29-16.
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But the hearing noted in its statement that “match officials are required to make decisions under pressure and in the heat of a live match environment”.
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