Les Kiss’ hopes of turning around the Reds’ season had been dealt a blow, with star duo Fraser McReight and Tate McDermott to miss Friday night’s clash with the Highlanders duo to suspension.
The Wallabies pair were shown yellow cards during their 17-14 loss to Moana Pasifika across the ditch on Friday night for reckless high tackles, before it was determined that they both met the red card threshold.
McDermott recklessly lashed out with his arm during the process of a tackle in the 47th minute, while McReight’s body height went up as he collected Moana playmaker William Havili in the jaw in the 75th minute.
William Havili is tackled high by Fraser McReight at Semenoff Stadium, on April 12, 2024, in Whangarei, New Zealand. (Photo by Fiona Goodall/Getty Images)
Unsurprisingly, both were called up to face a SANZAAR Judiciary hearing on Monday night where it was determined that both incidents were mid-range indiscretions.
McDermott will not only miss the clash against the Highlanders, but also the trans-Tasman fixtures against the Blues and Crusaders.
“The entry point for the offence was 6 weeks (assessed as mid-range for intentional and deliberate physical abuse of striking with arm to the side of the victim player’s head where the victim player was in an vulnerable position with limited ability, if any, to defend himself),” Foul Play Review Committee Chairman Stephen Hardy ruled.
“The Player was given a discount for entering an early guilty plea (and other relevant mitigating factors including remorse and prior disciplinary record), reducing the suspension from 6 weeks to 3 weeks. The Player is therefore suspended up to and including 4 May 2024.
“In providing the Player the Sanction, the Foul Play Review Committee emphasised that this sort of incident is not tolerated in any form of the game.”
“It’s not ideal and it wasn’t ideal during the game,” Kiss said.
“He’s ridden that hard, as he would. It’s uncharacteristic. The situation has now been dealt with. Tate will add value around the place just like others who are injured would.”
After being shown red cards during their 17-14 loss to Moana Pasifika, Fraser McReight and Tate McDermott were handed three-match bans. (Photo by Fiona Goodall/Getty Images)
McReight too had a six-week ban halved due to his remorse and prior record, but will likely miss just two matches should he, as expected, complete a “Head Contact Process – Coaching Intervention” process”.
“Applying World Rugby’s Head Contact Process, the FPRC assessed the Player’s actions as including direct head contact which was made to the victim player with the Player’s shoulder at high speed, with the Player’s body position always upright and moving upwards and towards the collision. The FPRC assessed the act as reckless,” Hardy ruled.
“The FPRC was concerned by the “upright nature of the tackle” and determined that it was an “always illegal” act of foul play. In those circumstances mitigation would not apply.
“Even if it was not an “always illegal” act of foul play, there was, in the FPRC’s view, no sudden or significant change in height or direction, a late change in dynamics (or any other relevant mitigating factor set out within the Head Contact Process) to result in mitigation sufficient to downgrade the incident to a yellow card.
“The entry point for the offence was 6 weeks (assessed as mid-range in line with World Rugby’s mandate and given there were no other factors applicable, in this instance, to increase the entry point). The Player was given a discount for entering an early guilty plea (and other relevant mitigating factors including remorse and prior disciplinary record), reducing the suspension from 6 weeks to 3 weeks.”
The bans add to the frustration of a third straight defeat for the Reds, who started the season in promising fashion after three wins from their opening four matches.
But the loss of McReight and McDermott will stretch their depth ahead of another winnable clash against the Highlanders, who went down badly to the Rebels last Saturday.
“We have to deal with that,” Kiss added.
“The opportunity in this now is to give a little bit more exposure to players who were playing off the bench and other players in the program to step up too.”
The Reds expected the duo to miss some game time, but they will likely raise their eyebrows at the inconsistency at play, particularly after Drua prop Jone Koroiduadua was banned for just two weeks after a head-butt on Alex Mafi.
It led to Rebels coach Kevin Foote questioning the criteria used to assess the ban.
“There is intent there, whether he lands it or not is irrelevant,” said Foote.
“If Mafi has his head forward at that stage and he hits him, does that make it worse?
“That is malicious. My understanding is if you make any contact with the head, we have been told that is top, top, top suspension – and he gets two weeks.
“(Koroiduadua) was on a mission. There was a late hit on Carter (Gordon) and there was something with Ryan (Louwrens) just before that.
“But then to obviously headbutt on top of that, I mean come on.”
Kiss will address the media on Tuesday.
Cec
Roar Rookie
100% agree on the passing but perhaps Kiss is looking for that direction and run threat. Selections always come with a compromise unless you’re a player like Antoine DuPont. Kiss has to start giving minutes particularly at your play maker positions.
Muglair
Roar Rookie
OK so Tate felt the force of a forearm and reacted on the basis that it was intentional. While that might turn it into a form of provocation by proxy I then agree with you and Ken that there is more to it. For me, it is hard to ignore the Lonergan tackle which started from being unable to bring the man down. All is not right there, I think I used the word petulance somewhere else.
Jacko
Roar Rookie
What we have Piru is that in rugby foul play is foul play. Deliberate or accidental is becoming irrelevant. They rule on Barretts tackle the same way as if it had been deliberate.
savant
Roar Rookie
Agree Ken. There were many incidents that frustrated him. There is a moment where one of the Moana players pushes his head into the dirt and rubs it around. There was the usual home ground officiating. There was the fact that Moana played well and were immensely physical. Tate showed poor leadership by allowing it to get to him. He should have just got on with it. They could have scraped out a narrow win. Schmidt will have noticed his mental fragility too.
Ken Catchpole's Other Leg
Roar Guru
Mugs, let me know if any of those meany backs pick on you again. I’m not sure which side I’d take, but either way, it could be mildly entertaining. As someone who regularly exercises with a few heartless props, I have limited sympathy. But God bless.
Qualify
Roar Rookie
Hi HM, I believe his sentence was probably mitigated due to the attacking player's fend with a forearm to the throat (without any sanction and deemed to have been a yellow card offence in the past).
Ken Catchpole's Other Leg
Roar Guru
Savant, I’m not really pushing a barrow here, (other than wishing all pro halfbacks had a sharp pass) but I believe that McDermott was p155ed off with more than a forearm. They were insulted by the Moana’s first try and seemed ‘demeaned’ to be chasing the game. Those two neglected kicks for sticks were signs that the Reds wanted to score tries ‘for revenge’ rather than victory. Tate was part of the leadership that threw away the easy points and made winning harder. Added to this referee’s ‘interesting’ calls (wtf was that ‘not rolling away’ penalty for when Fraser had clearly and fairly pinched it?). All in all McDermott was dirty about more than a forearm, imo.
Busted Fullback
Roar Rookie
Thanks Ken. Glad you noticed. :happy:
GusTee
Roar Pro
Hey Coker, Yes, but the potential for a really serious injury (to the back of the head) has to be considered in Lomani's thuggery. His victim was lucky to escape with 20 stitches. McDermott's victim was virtually unscathed. Frankly, to eradicate this type of "play", each should have received the maximum penalty available. There is no place in rugby circa 2024 for that sort of approach to the game and others should be given the chance to take the field to prove themselves.
GusTee
Roar Pro
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GusTee
Roar Pro
Yeah - your "remorse" comment sits in the same box as a discount for "an early plea" given all the camera evidence on open display.
GusTee
Roar Pro
And Marley Pearce of The Force copped 4 WEEKS STRAIGHT in Feb. But then, I almost forgot, his unintentional but poor tackle technique was on royal game in the form of a Barrett. Still it is 2/3rds of the punishment that was dished out for Lomani’s blatant, vicious and intended assault that could have killed or maimed but ended in 20 stitches for the recipient. Perhaps Marley, by breaking his own nose and spraying some claret on Barrett, deserved a far greater penalty than for an intentional headbutt or indeed a swinging arm retaliation blow – Lol. :angry:
The Ferret
Roar Rookie
That is something I have no knowledge of. Maybe if we had some sort of 3rd tier comp more of us would know about him and he could be gaining that experience he needs to take the big step up.
savant
Roar Rookie
Mate I don’t really care but I’ve gone back and had a look and he grabs the jersey first but his forearm immediately ride up to the neck and he is running flat out so it is undeniably with force. I think thats what gets under Tates skin. Because Tate has played over 50 SR games and I can’t recall him ever reacting like that. He’s never been carded for an action like that. And half backs get picked on by the big guys all the time. Usually he sucks it up. So something stirred him up this time. It is completely out of character with all his previous appearances. Tate will be filthy with himself that he lost his cool. How many other punches has he thrown in his career? None.
piru
Roar Rookie
So heads aren’t sacrosanct, except sometimes when they are. I don’t think this ruling is bad but I’m confused as to why you think the headbutt was ok.
Jacko
Roar Rookie
And we all know what you are saying because its an Aussie.
James Valentine
Roar Rookie
We all know what you would say if it was a Kiwi Jacko.
Muglair
Roar Rookie
It was a straight arm fend to the chest and the carrier then gripped the jumper on the fend which rode up over Tate's left shoulder so that later in the tackle his forearm was against Tate's throat or face as the carrier fell. Forearm to the neck with force, it is not. Rubbing faces and pushing heads into the ground is a blight on the game, but you can't whistle up every breakdown. Putting up with it is apparently a basic requirement, possibly included in the contract as a working condition.
Muglair
Roar Rookie
:crying: had to be careful, half of them were bigger than me, and the other half, meaner.
Jacko
Roar Rookie
You need to read more of his post than one small line LP.