Why England’s trio of NRL forwards including ex-St Helens star avoid bans despite being cited by panel

A huge number of England players were cited this week by the match review panel after the 42-18 win over France and three of them were NRL forwards at the heart of England’s middle dominance in the opening two games.

The first player cited by the panel was former St Helens star and now Canterbury Bulldogs enforcer Luke Thompson who was cited with a late hit on a kicker.

However he didn’t receive a ban for the following reason: “Player is late but moderates contact on opponent upon impact and pulls opponent to ground.”

An interesting call to say the least with so much focus placed on these kinds of offences throughout 2022 but England fans will be happy to see him escape a ban after a fiery affair with the French.

Thompson scored thanks to a lovely assist from Victor Radley who also got a try but was also cited this time for a late hit on a passer.

Likewise, he avoided a ban for a similar reason according to the minutes from the World Cup panel: “Player is late but moderates contact on opponent with arms straight upon impact.”

Lastly, Tom Burgess copped a yellow card and was placed on report for sparking a confrontation between both players.

However, he avoided a ban due to the fact his hand was open and therefore the action committed was not a punch.

“Player pushes opponent over after a tackle with open handed push to the face.”