Leeds Rhinos and St Helens players banned as Wigan Warriors forward faces tribunal
Wigan Warriors prop Liam Byrne - Alamy
Five Super League players have been suspended following the Easter weekend – with Wigan Warriors prop Liam Byrne also looking at a lengthy suspension after being ordered to face a tribunal on Tuesday evening.
Leeds Rhinos duo Justin Sangare and Cameron Smith have both received one-match suspensions following incidents in their victory over Castleford Tigers. Sangare has been charged with Grade C Head Contact, while Smith charged with Grade B Dangerous Contact. They will both miss this weekend’s game against Warrington Wolves as a result.
And the derby between Wigan Warriors and St Helens has also yielded several charges. Warriors forward Tyler Dupree has been given a one-match penalty notice for a Grade C Head Contact charge – but he will face no further action for the incident that saw him sin-binned during the defeat at the Saints.
He was alleged to have led with the elbow in a collision with Saints forward Matty Lees, but has escaped a ban for that incident after the minutes of the Match Review Panel detailed: “Player braces for contact and initial contact is with the chest and rides up quickly to the opponent’s neck as the opponent slips prior to contact”.
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Saints prop Lees has also been banned for two matches, however. He has been charged with Grade C Head Contact and his sanction is at the higher end of the grade due to his previous record.
Byrne, meanwhile, will face a tribunal and a possible significant suspension on Tuesday after being charged with Grade E Head Contact following the incident that saw him sent off in the latter stages of the derby.
Warrington prop Paul Vaughan is the other player suspended; he has been banned for two games following a Grade C Dangerous Throw in their defeat to Catalans. Like Lees, his suspension is at the higher end of the grading.
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