Explanation behind King Vuniyayawa decision as Salford Red Devils man escapes ban

The officials during Saturday’s Super League tie between Salford Red Devils and London Broncos effectively made a mistake in sending Red Devils prop King Vuniyayawa off, according to the Match Review Panel.

Vuniyayawa was shown a red card for a tip tackle on London’s Marcus Stock during Salford’s win in the capital on Saturday afternoon, and the expectation was he would be charged and suspended on Monday by the MRP.

However, Vuniyayawa has avoided a suspension and has not been charged for the incident – with an explanation from the panel seeming to suggest the decision to send him from the field was the incorrect one.

In the notes from the MRP meeting on Monday morning, it is suggested that Vuniyayawa wasn’t solely responsible for the mechanics of the tackle that saw Stock tipped above the horizontal.

They wrote: “Player lifts one leg of opponent and walks round with leg of opponent but never lifts above the hip. Opponent still has one leg on the ground.

“Opponent is being tackled in the upper body by two of player’s team mate and is twisted round and lands on his neck and shoulder. Player not solely responsible for the mechanics of the tackle and cannot be solely attributed to placing opponent in a dangerous position.”

That led to a decision of no further action for Vuniyayawa, no charge and removing the possibility of him being banned for any forthcoming Salford games.

READ NEXT: Explaining why Leeds Rhinos were able to announce Ryan Hall deal before May 1 deadline