Case Detail
Case Number:
ON/427/24
Tyler Dupree #19, Wigan Warriors
Competition:
Super League
Match:
St Helens v Wigan Warriors
Match Date:
2024-03-29
Incident:
Head Contact
Decision:
Charge
Charge Detail:
Law 15.1 (b)
Head Contact
Grade C
Sanctions:
1 Match Penalty Notice
Decision On Charge
Summary of CM's submissions on the Charge / evidence:
St Helens v Wigan Warriors
Betfred Super League – 29th March 2024
Law 15. 1 (b) Head Contact
• Match Review Panel reviewed an incident in the above match.
• The footage shows Mr Dupree’s opponent, Mr Batchelor take a ball carry into contact with Mr
Dupree and is contacted in the head by the head of Mr Dupree.
• Mr Batchelor has to leave the field of play for a Head Injury Assessment due to the contact. Mr
Batchelor does pass his Assessment.
• The Match Review Panel deemed this to be forceful and dangerous and that this was low level
of force and danger. For a contact to the head with low level of force and danger, the entry
grading the Match Review Panel submit is a Grade B charge.
• The Match Review Panel do not believe that there were any mitigating factors at play with
regards this incident.
• The aggravating factors are:
o Tackler makes no definite attempt to change height in an effort to avoid the ball
carrier’s head.
o The trajectory of the tackler’s head is always going towards the ball carrier’s head.
• The Match Review Panel believe that the aggravating factors are sufficient to move this to a
Grade C charge.
Summary of Player's submissions on the Charge / evidence:
Should be a Grade B –
• Ones we have seen in this game
• Conscious effort to lower his height – we can see from the other footage that he has bent from waist and also his knees -the posture he is in is what we are looking for ie what we train
• The opponent Batchelor is running across rather than at him and is leaning into him -if he dips lower he would injure himself
• Genuine tackle – turs his head before contact
• No reaction by anyone
Player
We have worked on this a lot and dipping at the knees and the hips I have brought it into the game and I understand it now and I have made a conscious effort to change
We say that he has made some effort to lower his height and so we say that it is a B and not a C
Decision:
Accordingly Grade C - Deposit forfeited and Fine of £500
Reasons for Decision:
SP is that there is forceful contact with the head – clear from the fact of the HIA assessment- SP therefore is a Grade B
The MRP submit that there are 2 aggravating features
Tackler makes no definite attempt to change height in an effort to avoid the ball
carrier’s head.
o The trajectory of the tackler’s head is always going towards the ball carrier’s head.
These they submit take the Grade up in the range to Grade C
Defence submit
• Conscious effort to lower his height – we can see from the other footage that he has bent from waist and also his knees -the posture he is in is what we are looking for ie what we train
• The opponent Batchelor is running across rather than at him and is leaning into him -if he dips lower he would injure himself
• Genuine tackle – turns his head before contact
We take the view that the only movement of the ball carrier that can have any bearing on a head contact would be lowering of height- no such movement here- angle of run and change of angle irrelevant
Duty is to tackle and avoid contact with the head – the aggravating feature is to be read in that way in our view that way in other words that there has to be some definite lowering of the height in order to avoid contact with the head- there was some lowering but in our view only slight and clearly not enough as their heads are at the very least level at the time of impact.
Clear and obvious target area to make the tackle safely if a definite attempt to avoid contact with the head had been made. We do not accept that it would have been unsafe for Mr Dupree to tackle in any other way.
Accordingly Grade C - Deposit forfeited and Fine of £500