Freddie Steward was sent off just before half-time in Saturday’s 29-16 defeat in Dublin after a challenge on Hugo Keenan; Steward’s red card card has been rescinded to a yellow, meaning he can feature in upcoming Leicester Tigers matches
Last Updated: 22/03/23 10:56am
Freddie Steward was sent off late in the first half of Saturday’s Six Nations match against Ireland in Dublin
England full-back Freddie Steward has been cleared to play after his red card in Saturday’s Six Nations defeat by Ireland was overturned.
Steward appeared before a virtual disciplinary hearing on Tuesday night for a dangerous challenge to the head of Hugo Keenan that ended the full-back’s afternoon at the Aviva Stadium.
However, while it was decided the tackle was an act of foul play, the panel felt there were sufficient mitigating circumstances to view it as a yellow card offence only.
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Ireland head coach Andy Farrell says he is delighted to clinch the Grand Slam on home turf while England’s Steve Borthwick admits his side fell short.
England’s frustration at the decision by referee Jaco Peyper will have only have increased knowing that Steward should have only sat out just 10 minutes of the game rather than the entire second-half.
Steve Borthwick’s men showed resolve in the face of the Leicester full-back’s dismissal, which drew an incredulous “Red card?!” response from Owen Farrell, before being beaten 29-16 as Ireland completed the Grand Slam.
England were trailing 10-6 at the time of Steward’s dismissal
But the hearing noted in its statement that “match officials are required to make decisions under pressure and in the heat of a live match environment”.
The full statement from the Independent Disciplinary Committee read: “England full-back Freddie Steward appeared before an independent Disciplinary Committee via video link having received a red card in the Guinness Six Nations match between Ireland and England on Saturday 18th March 2023 played at the Aviva Stadium.
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Sky Sports News’ James Cole analyses Ireland’s historic Six Nations Grand Slam victory and the key questions facing England ahead of the World Cup.
“The red card was issued as a result of the referee concluding that the player had acted contrary to law 9.13 (a player must not tackle an opponent early, late or dangerously. Dangerous tackling includes, but is not limited to, tackling or attempting to tackle an opponent above the line of the shoulders even if the tackle starts below the line of the shoulders),
“The independent disciplinary committee consisting of Nigel Hampton KC – chair (New Zealand), Frank Hadden (Scotland) and John Langford (Australia) heard the case, and considered all the available evidence, including multiple broadcast angles and submissions from the player and his representative.
“After hearing the submissions, the disciplinary committee formally amended the law which was breached to law 9.11 (players must not do anything that is reckless or dangerous to others including leading with the elbow or forearm, or jumping into, or over, a tackler.)
“The player denied that he had committed an act of foul play worthy of a red card as described in law 9.11. Having reviewed all the evidence, the committee decided that: (i) head contact with an opposing player had occurred; (ii) there had been an act of foul play in breach of law 9.11 in that the player had been reckless in his actions and in his upright positioning as he approached and came into highly dangerous contact with the other player; and (iii) there were sufficient mitigating factors including the late change in the dynamics and positioning of the opposing player which should have resulted in the issue of a yellow card rather than a red card.
“On that basis, the committee did not uphold the red card and the player is free to play again immediately. The committee acknowledged that match officials are required to make decisions under pressure and in the heat of a live match environment.”
Tiger faces Bristol Bears in the Gallagher Championship on Saturday, before hosting Edinburgh in the Champions Cup on Friday March 31.
