Sharks scrumhalf Grant Williams has been suspended for the next four matches after receiving a red card in the Vodacom United Rugby Championship match against the Vodacom Bulls.
Williams was sent off in the second half of the Sharks’ win against the Bulls at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria after referee AJ Jacobs judged that he had made dangerous head-on-head contact in a tackle on Chris Smith.
The tackle resulted in the Bulls flyhalf having to be stretchered off the field.
Williams was cited on Wednesday in contravention of Law 9.13 – A player must not tackle an opponent early, late or dangerously. Dangerous tackling includes, but is not limited to, tackling or attempting to tackle an opponent above the line of the shoulders even if the tackle starts below the line of the shoulders.
The Disciplinary Panel of Pamela Woodman (Chair, Scotland), Nigel Williams (Wales) and Shane O’Driscoll (Ireland) considered all of the evidence available and concluded that the referee’s decision to issue the red card was not wrong and so upheld the red card.
Given that there had been contact to the head of his opponent, the entry point for the sanction was a minimum of mid-range. Given that the panel found that Williams’ actions were reckless, they determined that the entry point be mid-range which carried a suspension of 6 weeks.
Williams did not accept that he had committed an act of foul play nor that it warranted a red card. However, the panel considered that his previous good record, his apology to his opponent and exemplary behaviour during the process entitled him to mitigation. Accordingly, the sanction was reduced by 2 weeks as a result of those mitigating factors.
As a result, Williams has been banned for a period of four weeks. This ban will include two games in the Currie Cup and two games in the United Rugby Championship. He is free to play from midnight on Sunday, March 13, 2022.
Matches scheduled during Williams’ suspension:
Currie Cup: Golden Lions v Sharks (February 19)
URC: Benetton Rugby v Sharks (February 26)
Currie Cup: Pumas v Sharks (March 4)
URC: Sharks v Scarlets (March 11)
Photo: Steve Haag/Gallo Images
