World Rugby bans France lock Cloé Correa for two matches after suspected eye contact in chaotic win over Australia

# What happened France second-row Cloé Correa was sent off with a straight red card during France's WXV Global Series match against Australia in Aix-en-Provence. The red came for alleged contact with the eye area of Australia lock Michaela Leonard during a maul. The referee, Holly Wood, told the TMO she had seen "fingers in the eyes for a prolonged period of time" and issued an immediate red.

# Match context

# World Rugby review and sanction World Rugby's Foul Player Review Committee (FPRC) accepted Correa's account that foul play had occurred and that a red card was warranted. The committee found:

• There was contact with the eye area, but not direct contact with the eye itself.
• The contact was not deliberate.

Given those findings, the committee set a low-end entry point for sanction. Correa received full 50% mitigation, resulting in a final proposed suspension of two matches. She will miss France's upcoming Tests against Canada (September 26) and New Zealand (October 17).

# Ambre Mwayembe's sanction Mwayembe's tackle was judged a breach of Law 9.13 (dangerous tackle). The FPRC applied a mid-range entry point, then awarded full 50% mitigation. That produced a three-match sanction, which is reducible to two matches if Mwayembe successfully completes World Rugby's coaching intervention programme. If she completes the programme, she would also miss the same Canada and New Zealand fixtures as Correa.

# Why the committee reached this outcome The committee's findings rested on the specific nature of the contact and its effects. They distinguished between direct, deliberate eye-gouging and incidental or indirect contact with the eye area. Because the committee judged the contact to be indirect and without effect on the victim, it used the lower entry point for sanction and applied significant mitigation.

# Immediate consequences for France France's squad will be missing Correa for two Tests and face the prospect of Mwayembe missing the same pair unless she completes the coaching intervention successfully. The match itself will be remembered for its swinging momentum and unusually high disciplinary toll.

# What remains settled World Rugby has issued the sanctions and published the committee's reasoning: contact occurred but was not deliberate and did not affect the victim player, prompting a two-match ban for Cloé Correa. Mwayembe's suspension can be reduced after completing the mandated coaching intervention.

# Short timeline

• Match day: France vs Australia, WXV Global Series, Aix-en-Provence.
• Chaotic opening quarter: three French players sin-binned, one yellow later escalated.
• Correa shown straight red for contact in a maul.

# Bottom line A referee's red card for suspected eye contact in a high-drama match led to a formal review. World Rugby judged the contact to be indirect and non-deliberate, imposing a relatively light two-match ban for Cloé Correa, while another French player faces a reducible suspension for a dangerous tackle.