LeeF

It’s not a kop out for them. They have been told what to do in that type of incident. They have to follow protocols. They would get dropped for not following. You are blaming the wrong people

I genuinely don’t get the outrage with the Watts red and subsequent ban. As you said shoulder with force to the head of a non dipping ball carrier. No attempt to wrap his arms and a lengthy list of previous.

The yellows leading to bans are because the VR doesn’t have a finite time to watch and rewatch unlike the MRP and Disciplinary plus the MOs are encouraged to err on the side of caution rather than issue reds and reduce the game to 13 v 12 or 11 etc. As per your last paragraph I genuinely believe it is early season recalibration.

As I posted I thought the Donaldson one was a red and was surprised at the yellow. I think the VR got it wrong but no doubt we’ll see on Monday. I agree that we need to stop this type of tackle as Donaldson looks out of control when making it. The Lisone one isn’t as bad imo. There may be contact with the shoulder first which means the yellow is correct. In the midst of a game I’ve no issue with this resulting in a yellow but something else via the MRP. I have only watched it on a small screen though. It’s never just a penalty in a month of Sundays.

The only person “confused” the Lisone sin bin is the Leeds coach and he is clearly deflecting from their loss. With Donaldson it was the VR who inferred it wasn’t a red which was a surprise to me as I still think it was a red. Interestingly the ex SL referee Ian Smith on Twitter who is a sensible commentator thought it was a yellow due to the force or lack of used and he usually calls these incidents correctly. I think you can put this one down to the early days and it being in the grey area and will be used for much discussion this week to improve clarity and consistency.

Plus the “stability” when actually playing the ball means it is much more controlled and therefore cleaner.

It’s ok he got NFA’d as there was mitigation from the ball carrier’s actions

I would assume that the RFL will have to charge the Club for that tweet and rightly should

That should keep the MRP, the Disciplinary and this forum very busy with his tackling technique and the new laws scheduled to be introduced.

That won’t be a straight line chase as Dwyer runs all over the place

So a Wigan fan living in say Leeds would have been ok to referee a Wigan v Leigh match

I’m with you and would watch but yes we are probably in the minority.

They did try to explain some MRP decisions via the Sin Bin videos a couple of years ago but people watched them and still dismissed/ ignored/ thought they knew better despite the explanations provided being very clear. That doesn’t mean don’t try again but I’m not optimistic that this time around would be any better.

No there isn’t. Also the MRP minutes are usually much more detailed including those which are “NFA’d” Previous weeks ones seem to have been uploaded

The full minutes for those which go to hearing are usually published after the deadline for any appeal has passed which will be either later today or more likely tomorrow. The rationale for the Disciplinary Panel’s changing of the grading or issuing a ban not at the lower end is usually included.

The reason you’ve never seen it before is because it shouldn’t happen

It’s a maximum of 7 outside the scrum but Hull could have retained 6 in the scrum and it’s the same whether numbers are reduced by injury or foul play

He could try bending his back and maybe look to use his arms to try & wrap the ball carrier

I agree. They have nothing to lose and if they perform well then like you say they will get a decent run in the team

Warrington will be gutted with all those Hull players missing as their replacements must be better

Wait until they take Watts’ previous over the last couple of seasons.

And this is the summary (you’ll still need a packet of biscuits) Charges arising from Round One of the Betfred Super League season, following Monday’s meeting of the RFL’s Match Review Panel, are summarised below. For offences graded A-D, recommended punishments are included – with players and their clubs able to challenge at an Operational Rules Tribunal on Tuesday evening. For charges of Grade E and F, the player is required to appear at an ORT on Tuesday evening. Robert Hicks, the RFL’s Director of Operations and Legal, said: “As we have outlined in various forums in the build-up to the Betfred Super League season, there have been a number of changes to the Head Contact Sanctioning Framework for 2024 – and Match Officials and the Match Review Panel share the responsibility for implementing these changes. “The number of yellow and red cards shown in the opening round of the Betfred Super League has already become a talking point, and doubtless the number of charges arising from the MRP meeting will be similar – but it is important to provide some context. “Of the 13 cards shown, 10 of the incidents would have led to a card being shown under the framework that applied in 2023. “One area which has made a difference is in head on head contact, and the responsibility of attacking and tackling players in this area. “Just as the sport should be grateful to the commitment of Match Officials and the MRP in implementing change at such a pivotal period for the sport, we also reiterate our gratitude to clubs, coaches and players for their positive approach over recent months. “It was a highly successful opening round of Betfred Super League fixtures, and it is right that the focus is already turning to the second round of matches, and also the Betfred World Club Challenge.” Match officials appointments for the Betfred World Club Challenge will be confirmed on Tuesday morning. The Wigan Warriors scrum half Harry Smith will be available to play in that game after the dangerous throw/lift charge for which he was sin-binned at Castleford on Saturday was graded as B. This was because the unnatural actions of the tackled player significantly contributed to the outcome of the tackle. Charges: Herman Ese’Ese (Hull FC) – Grade D Head Contact – 2 Match Penalty Notice & £250 Fine Jayden Okunbor (Hull FC) – Grade B Dangerous Contact - £250 Fine Franklin Pele (Hull FC) – Grade E Head Contact – Refer to Tribunal Matt Parcell (Hull KR) – Grade B Other Contrary Behaviour – 1 Match Penalty Notice Ligi Sao (Hull FC) – Grade D Other Contrary Behaviour – 3 Match Penalty Notice & £250 Fine Tom Amone (Leigh Leopards) – Grade C Head Contact – 2 Match Penalty Notice Jack Hughes (Leigh Leopards) – Grade B Dangerous Contact - £250 Fine Ricky Leutele (Leigh Leopards) – Grade B Head Contact – 1 Match Penalty Notice Zak Hardaker (Leigh Leopards) – Grade B Dangerous Contact - £250 Fine Ryan Brierley (Salford Red Devils) – Grade C Head Contact – 1 Match Penalty Notice Charbel Tasipale (Castleford Tigers) – Grade C Head Contact – 1 Match Penalty Notice Harry Smith (Wigan Warriors) – Grade B Dangerous Throw/Lift - £250 Fine Liam Watts (Castleford Tigers) – Grade E Head Contact – Refer to Tribunal Michael McIlorum (Catalans Dragons) – Grade E Head Contact – Refer to Tribunal Jordan Crowther (Warrington Wolves) – Grade C Other Contrary Behaviour – 1 Match Penalty Notice Paul Seguier (Catalans Dragons) – Grade D Head Contact – 2 Match Penalty Notice and £250 Fine

Put the kettle on. Open a pack of biscuits as this week’s MRP minutes are out https://www.rugby-league.com/uploads/docs/MRP Feb 19.pdf

No I don’t based on what I’ve read from the RFL and various other sources. As discussed ad nauseam on this forum the videos did seem to confuse matters and there was a disconnect between words and pictures. Your “very similar” comment is probably the key. Similar but not the same.

If you watch this tackle I struggle to see how you can conclude that the “game’s gone” or that this or next seasons tackle laws will reduce the physicality and enjoyment of the game