Andy Farrell says rugby bosses provide more clarity around dangerous challenges and the disciplinary processes so that players, coaches and referees are on the same hymn sheet.
The Ireland head coach was addressing the media yesterday soon after the news broke that World Rugby had decided to appeal an independent disciplinary committee's decision to overturn a red card shown to England skipper Owen Farrell, son of Andy, against Wales last Saturday.
The Saracens out-half was initially shown a yellow card for the high challenge but after a bunker review, it was upgraded to red.
Large scale condemnation from the wider rugby community then followed the committee’s decision to downgrade the red card back to yellow.
The 31-year-old Lions fly-half has served three bans since 2018 and World Rugby’s appeal to Six Nations, the organisers of the Summer Nations Series, will be held early next week.
If the appeal is successful Farrell looks likely to face a ban that could rule him out of some of England's World Cup campaign, which begins against Argentina on 9 September.
"The problem here is the judiciary, who basically went completely against the grain for what we’ve been seeing for the last couple of years for accepted best practice and behaviour...it defies logic," former Ireland hooker Bernard Jackman told RTÉ 2fm’s Game On yesterday.
Whatever the outcome, the back-and-forth nature of the process has put the focus on rugby’s arcane disciplinary processes and Farrell says it’s important that matters are clarified.
"Well, it is [going to cost a team in a big match sometime]. We don’t just talk about discipline every week, we talk about it every day, because it’s vitally important," said the 48-year-old former England centre.
"Some people love living on the edge; we try to stay under that because it is so important, but having said all that, mistakes will happen along the way during the competition, and we’ve got to be good enough to be able to deal with that."
He added: "I don’t want to see a game like last week [England against Wales] where there’s three yellow cards and a red, or a yellow going into a red.
"I don’t think that’s the game that we all want to see played but we have to play our part in it as well as far as coaches and players. I honestly believe that having the most disciplined side is definitely a step in the right direction towards progressing in this World Cup and it’s something that we value highly."
Asked it was important that there’s clarity around the tackle area, he said: "Yeah, I hope so."
After hitting out at certain commentators for the "disgusting" circus around his son, Farrell, a former Rugby League star with Wigan and Great Britain, admitted that all the controversy has taken its toll.
"Well, I’m a person, but I’m also a professional coach for Ireland so I know how to handle all that kind of stuff and the experience I’ve had through me career certainly helped," he said.
"It's part of life as a professional sportsman and I get as well that the longer you're near the top level, a lot of people are there to shoot you down.
"That's all well and good but it comes to a point where it's not acceptable as well.
"What could I say? I don’t know.
"I’d probably get his mother up here to do an interview with you, and you’ll see the human side of the bulls**t that’s happening like, you know?
"Or maybe get his wife to write a book on it, because then you’ll probably see the impact that it’s having on, not just the professional player, but the families and the human side that goes with it."
On whether he was glad that Steve Borthwick had opted to leave Owen out of the matchday squad for tomorrow’s game (5.30pm), he replied: "No, no. Not at all."
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