England’s Tom Curry hit with ban after Rugby World Cup red card

England flanker Tom Curry was on Tuesday banned for two matches following his red card in last weekend’s 27-10 Rugby World Cup victory over Argentina.

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The 25-year-old was sent off just three minutes into the Pool D encounter in Marseille on Saturday for a head-on-head tackle.

“The player accepted that foul play occurred and that the offence warranted a red card” the sport’s governing body World Rugby said in a statement.

An independent disciplinary committee said the offence carries a minimum six-game suspension but found mitigating circumstances, including “an exemplary disciplinary record, apology to the player and good character”, which warranted a 50 percent reduction in the sanction.

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That would have meant a three-game ban but World Rugby said Curry was able to reduce that to two matches by applying to take part in the body’s Coaching Intervention Programme aimed at modifying tackle technique.

It means he will miss England’s next two Pool D matches against Japan in Nice on Sunday and minnows Chile in Lille on September 23.

He will be available again to face Samoa in Lille on October 7.

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Curry was initially yellow carded for the challenge on Argentina fullback Juan Cruz Mallia before it was upgraded to a red card by rugby’s ‘bunker’ system.

Tom Curry the third England player to be red-carded

It was his first match since he was injured in May’s English Premiership final.

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He was the third England player to be red-carded in their last four matches.

No 8 Billy Vunipola missed the Argentina match due to suspension after he was dismissed against Ireland in a pre-World Cup warm-up last month.

Flyhalf Owen Farrell also missed the World Cup opener and will sit out England’s next match against Japan too for his red card in a warm-up against Wales.

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