suomen rugbyliitto finnish rugby federation

SUOMEN RUGBYLIITTO
FINNISH RUGBY FEDERATION
Member of International Rugby Board (IRB)
Member of European Rugby Association (FIRA-AER)
Member of Finnish Olympic Committee (NOC)
Member of Suomen liikunta ja urheilu (SLU)
DISCIPLINARY PANEL REPORT
Match: Porvoo - Tampere
Competition: Championship
Date: 12.09.2015
Player/club: Jonas Nenonen, Porvoo
Reason for hearing
The player was dismissed with a straight red card for a dangerous tackle.
Panel composition
George Mossford, Chris Gibbons, Steve Whittaker
Evidence submitted
Written reports by the match referee and Porvoo, and a still image taken of the
tackle provided by Porvoo.
Outcome
The disciplinary panel considers that the player was in breach of law 10.4(j) by
‘lifting a player from the ground and either dropping or driving that player’s head
and/or upper body into the ground whilst the player’s feet are off the ground’
and that the award of a red card was justified. In Finland, the low-end entry
point for this offense is a one-week suspension, midrange is two weeks, and
high-end is three+ weeks.
After considering the evidence submitted, the panel accepts the contention that
there was no malice in the tackle and that the player’s grip slipped while the
tackled player was in the air. The still image provided however suggests that the
player was approximately 1m above the ground at the time of release, and that
the lack of control was due to the tackler not using both arms to bind into the
tackle. At the point at which the picture was taken, the player is completely
horizontal, but it is not possible to estimate speed of rotation and therefore how
the player may have landed (head/shoulders/side). As a result, the panel finds
that the duty of care due to the tackled player was not met and that this is a
midrange offense. Due to the player’s previously unblemished disciplinary record
however, the panel decided to reduce the corresponding two-week suspension
period by one week.
The player is therefore awarded a one-week suspension that will begin on the
Friday before Porvoo’s next competitive XVs match (i.e. the first XVs game of the
2016 season). It should be noted that a strict application of the competition
regulations would render the player ineligible to play in any form of competition
before this suspension has been served, but the disciplinary panel, in
consultation with the National League and Competitions Manager, determined
this would result in a sanction completely disproportionate to the offense. The
Suomen Rugbyliitto ry, PL 974
, FI-00180 Helsinki, Finland
rg.nr: 97.491
E-mail: info@rugby.fi
www.rugby.fi
SUOMEN RUGBYLIITTO
FINNISH RUGBY FEDERATION
Member of International Rugby Board (IRB)
Member of European Rugby Association (FIRA-AER)
Member of Finnish Olympic Committee (NOC)
Member of Suomen liikunta ja urheilu (SLU)
player will therefore be considered eligible for selection throughout the SRL 7s
series. The competition regulations will be modified for the 2016 season to
address this issue. Additionally, should the player transfer between clubs during
the off-season, then the above ruling will remain in effect and be applied to the
first XVs match that the player’s new club is due to play in 2016.
Suomen Rugbyliitto ry, PL 974
, FI-00180 Helsinki, Finland
rg.nr: 97.491
E-mail: info@rugby.fi
www.rugby.fi