France back row Axelle Berthoumieu has been cited after allegedly biting Ireland’s Aoife Wafer during Sunday’s World Cup quarter-final. The incident happened in the 42nd minute at Sandy Park, just as Ireland won a penalty turnover. Wafer, making her first appearance of the tournament, was seen checking her arm immediately afterward.
At the time, France trailed 13-0, but they recovered to win 18-13 and set up a semi-final clash with England. Ireland captain Sam Monaghan said she raised the matter with referee Aimee Barrett-Theron, though no action was taken during the game. “I spoke to the referee,” Monaghan said. “Aoife told me, I didn’t see it myself, but I spoke to the referee and asked them.”
If the citing is upheld, Berthoumieu could face a suspension that rules her out of the semi-final. France co-captain Manae Feleu has also been cited for a high tackle in the same match.
The alleged bite has drawn strong reactions. Former England World Cup winner Maggie Alphonsi said the incident was a “disgrace” and that Berthoumieu should be punished if found guilty. “I hate seeing that in the game,” Alphonsi said. “When it comes to a situation like that it’s very clear, she should be punished for that. It’s sad because we’ve been celebrating the women’s game in this World Cup. It’s such a shame that the headlines will be dominated by the incident by a player who didn’t need to do that.”
Former Scotland international Deborah McCormack said she felt sorry for Ireland as the decision not to review the incident in the game could have had an impact on the outcome. “It could have had an effect on the game if it was looked at at the time,” she said. “It wasn’t looked at, but obviously it will be now. I feel for Ireland because it could have had an impact on that game. We don’t want this in our game.”
Ireland’s response stayed measured. Asked if the incident had been discussed by the squad, try-scorer Stacey Flood said: “We just have to get on with it and it’s not our decision to make. I think it was said to the referee, but if it wasn’t taken up then there’s nothing we can do about it. We just have to live in the moment and focus on our next job.”
Head coach Scott Bemand said he had not seen the incident but believed his leadership group had done what was required. “I’m not going to get drawn into anything at this point. I haven’t seen anything. I’ve literally stepped in here,” he said. “I think in terms of process, your on-pitch leadership would mention to the referee, and it’s up to the team officials to deal with it should they see fit at that point. If there are bits to pursue, we could potentially be disappointed, but we’ve followed the process as best we can from our perspective in terms of the on-pitch leadership conversations.”
The citing commissioner will now review the case, with potential sanctions to follow ahead of France’s semi-final.
