ENGLAND FULLBACK FREDDIE Steward’s red card against Ireland last weekend has been rescinded following a disciplinary hearing yesterday evening, the Six Nations has confirmed.
Steward was shown a red card just before half time of Ireland’s win over England on Saturday in Dublin after a collision with opposite number Hugo Keenan in which Steward’s elbow collided with Keenan’s head.
Referee Jaco Peyper decided it was a red card after concluding that it was a high-danger collision involving no mitigation. Keenan did not return to the pitch from his Head Injury Assessment, missing the second half as Ireland claimed a Grand Slam against 14-man England.
However, last night’s independent disciplinary committee decided that Steward should have only been yellow-carded.
Steward was cited for dangerous tackling but the disciplinary committee amended the citing to fall under 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.”
Having reviewed the evidence, including multiple broadcast angles and Steward’s explanation of the incident, the committee decided that he should have been sin-binned rather than sent off.
The committee confirmed that there had been head contact with Keenan and that Steward had committed foul play in breach of Law 9.11, specifically that the English fullback was “reckless in his actions and in his upright positioning as he approached and came into highly dangerous contact with the other player.”
However, the committee concluded that there were sufficient mitigating factors including “the late change in the dynamics and positioning” of Keenan.
They felt this mitigation “should have resulted in the issue of a yellow card rather than a red card.”
The committee did acknowledge in the official Six Nations statement that “match officials are required to make decisions under pressure and in the heat of a live match environment.”
As a result of this decision, Steward’s red card has not been upheld and he is free to play again immediately.
The independent disciplinary committee was made up of former Munster lock John Langford, ex-Scotland coach Frank Hadden and New Zealander Nigel Hampton.
