After the Match Review Panel‘s meeting on Monday, the Rugby Football League (RFL) has acknowledged that the implementation of the new Head Contact Sentencing Framework caused confusion and controversy during Round Two of the Betfred Super League. This was particularly evident in the match between Warrington Wolves and Hull FC on Friday when Nu Brown was dismissed late in the first half.
Upon reviewing the incident, the MRP determined that it did not warrant a charge under the Framework. This highlighted a lack of clarity in the procedures regarding head-on-head contact. This left the officials at Friday’s game in an awkward position.
The section of the Framework concerning head-on-head contact will now be updated. It will emphasize that it applies only to initial contact and not to subsequent contact. Once the mechanics of the tackle become more fluid, officials can use their knowledge and understanding of the game to mitigate the sanction, reflecting the level of culpability of the tackler.
The Betfred Super League head coaches will be reminded of this point at a pre-arranged meeting on Wednesday, while playing representatives of all 12 Super League clubs will be reminded at a separate meeting later in the day.
Warrington Wolves star avoids ban
Warrington Wolves have seen a number of their opponents charged after their clash with Hull FC. The Black and Whites have seen Liam Sutcliffe banned and the likes of Will Gardiner charged as well.
They did of course see Fa’amanu Brown avoid a ban for the head on head contact with Ben Currie as mentioned above.
However, one of their star signings in the shape of Sam Powell has avoided a ban for a high tackle. Powell was sin binned for the tackle but he didn’t receive a ban.
Leeds fans may question what was the difference between this and the two match ban for James Donaldson as well as three match ban for Sam Lisone.
Powell avoided a ban or fine because he wasn’t even charged at all. In fact, Hull FC and Leeds were the only teams who had players cited as well as charged, banned and fined.
