Heem's career at Worcester is over after he loses appeal
Bryce Heem has made his final appearance for Worcester as his appeal against a four-week suspension has failed ahead of his summer move to Toulon. Heem had appealed his four-week suspension, which was given for a tip-tackle on Paolo Odogwu contrary to Law 9.18 against Sale on April 13.
Heard by a new panel comprising Gareth Graham (chair), Martin Picton and John Doubleday, the appeal was dismissed and the player remains suspended for four weeks. The return to play date is to be confirmed due to only three regular season games remaining in his club’s English season.
Panel chair Graham said: “The issue on appeal was whether the disciplinary panel who heard the case at first instance was wrong to conclude that the tip-tackle by the player on Paolo Odogwu passed the red card test.
“The player accepted before the appeal panel that there was an act of foul play and that it warranted a yellow card. This represented a change of stance from that adopted at the original hearing when the question as to whether the player’s action amounted to an act of foul play was challenged.
“The disciplinary panel at first instance gave limited reasons as to why it considered the red card threshold was passed. In our view, it simply adopted a submission made on behalf of the RFU that if a player who had been tip-tackled landed on the head, neck or shoulder, a red card is warranted for the tackler, whereas a yellow card is warranted where a player lands on the back or side.
DISCIPLINE | @WorcsWarriors' Bryce Heem to appeal against four week suspension: https://t.co/0n5SGeJpGQ pic.twitter.com/FrX0N7PsC4
— England Rugby (@EnglandRugby) April 23, 2019
“At the appeal, counsel for the RFU was unable to demonstrate to the appeal panel the existence of any such guidance (either formally or informally). In the view of the appeal panel, this approach by the disciplinary panel was flawed.
“Instead, the assessment of whether a particular tip-tackle satisfies the red card test requires an analysis of all three elements of the act of foul play – (a) lifting off the ground, (b) dropping or driving. and (c) head and/or upper body making contact with the ground.
“The decision as to whether a particular tip-tackle should attract a yellow or red card does not necessarily depend on whether a tackled player lands on one part of the upper body or another.
“We concluded that an act of foul play, which causes another player to land on the shoulder (as part of a tip-tackle), doesn’t automatically warrant a red card as opposed to a yellow card; the appropriate sanction depends on the circumstances of the particular act of foul play in question.
“As a consequence, we consider that the decision reached by the disciplinary panel, was flawed in that it was made on an overly simplistic and misguided basis.
“On an appeal the discretion afforded by the RFU Regulations, in particular RFU Regulation 19.12.12, is wide. That discretion includes dismissing the appeal, quashing a finding and any sanction imposed, remitting the matter for a re-hearing or substituting an alternative finding and/or sanction.
https://twitter.com/WarriorsTicket/status/1118088826247942151
“The appeal panel concluded, however, that sufficient facts were available to us in the reasoning of the disciplinary panel, supplemented by the video footage, so as to allow us to properly make our own assessment as to whether the decision that the tackle justified a red card was the correct one.
“In so deciding we were conscious that we should not substitute our own views of the facts for that of the disciplinary panel but were confident that we could reach a fair assessment of the issue on the available material.
https://twitter.com/geoffberkeleyWN/status/1117743612912074752
“We concluded that the tackle did pass the red card threshold. This conclusion was based on the overall circumstances of the tackle, including that the player lifted Paolo Odogwu beyond the horizontal and dropped him on his shoulder.
“In the appeal panel’s assessment, this was a tip-tackle where the nature of the landing was potentially very dangerous to the tackled player and thus a red-card was justified in the circumstances.
“There was no appeal against the sanction (of a four-week ban) to be applied to the player if the appeal panel concluded that the red card threshold was passed. The appeal is therefore dismissed and the original sanction remains in place.”
Comments on RugbyPass
Good to hear he would like to play the game at the highest level, I hadn’t been to sure how much of a motivator that was before now. Sadly he’s probably chosen the rugby club to go to. Try not to worry about all the input about how you should play rugby Joey and just try to emulate what you do on the league field and have fun. You’ll limit your game too much (well not really because he’s a standard athlete like SBW and he’ll still have enough) if you’re trying to make sure you can recycle the ball back etc. On the other hard, you can totally just try and recycle by looking to offload any and everywhere if you’re going to ground 😋
1 Go to commentsThis just proves that theres always a stat and a metric to use to justify your abilities and your success. Ben did it last week by creating an imaginary competition and now you did the same to counter his argument and espouse a new yardstick for success. Why not just use the current one and lets say the Boks have won 4 world cups making them the most successful world cup team. Outside of the world cup the All Blacks are the most successful team winning countless rugby championships and dominating the rankings with high win percentages. Over the last 4 years statistically the Irish are the best having the highest win rate and also having positive records against every tier 1 side. The most successful Northern team in the game has been England with a world cup title and the most six nations titles in history. The AB’s are the most dominant team in history with the highest win rate and 3 world cups. Lets not try to reinvent the wheel. Just be honest about the actual stats and what each team has been good at doing and that will be enough to define their level of success.
19 Go to commentsHow is 7’s played there? I’m surprised 10 or 11 man rugby hasn’t taken off. 7 just doesn’t fit the 15s dynamics (rules n field etc) but these other versions do.
7 Go to commentsPick Swinton at your peril A liability just like JWH from the Roosters Skelton ??? went missing at RWC
14 Go to commentsLike tennis, who have a ranking system, and I believe rugby too, just measure over each period preceding a world cup event who was the longest number one and that would be it. In tennis the number one player frequently is not the grand slam winner. I love and adore the All Blacks since the days of Ian Kirkpatrick when I was a kid in SA. And still do because they are the masters of running rugby and are gentleman on and off the field - in general. And in my opinion they have been the majority of the time the best rugby team in the world.
19 Go to commentsHaving overseas possessions in 2024 is absurd. These Frenchies should have to give the New Caledonians their freedom.
21 Go to commentsBell injured his foot didn’t he? Bring Tupou in he’ll deliver when it counts. Agree mostly but I would switch in the Reds number 8 Harry Wilson for Swinton and move Rob Valentini to 6 instead. Wilson is a clever player who reads the play, you can’t outmuscle the AB’s and Springboks, if you have any chance it’s by playing clever. Same goes for Paisami, he’s a little guy who doesn’t really trouble the likes of De Allende and Jordie Barrett. I’d rather play Carter Gordon at 12 and put Michael Lynagh’s boy at 10. That way you get a BMT type goalkicker at 10 and a playmaker at 12. Anyways, just my two cents as a Bok supporter.
14 Go to commentsThanks Brett, love your articles which are alway pertinent. It’s a difficult topic trying to have a panel adjudicating consistently penalties for red card issues. Many of the mitigating reasons raised are judged subjectively, hence the different outcomes. How to take away subjective opinions?
7 Go to commentsYes Sir! Surprising, just like Fraser would also have escaped sanction if he was a few inches lower, even if it was by accident that he missed! Has there really been talk about those sanctions or is this just sensational journalism? I stopped reading, so might have missed any notations.
7 Go to commentsAI is only as good as the information put in, the nuances of the sport, what you see out the corner of the eye, how you sum up in a split second the situation, yes the AI is a tool but will not help win games, more likely contribute to a loss, Rugby Players are not robots, all AI can do if offer a solution not the solution. AI will effect many sports, help train better golfers etc.
45 Go to commentsIt couldn’t have been Ryan Crotty. He wasn’t selected in either World Cup side - they chose Money Bill instead. And Money Bill only cared about himself, and that manager he had, not the team.
26 Go to commentsYawn 🥱 nobody would give a hoot about this new trophy. End of the day we just have to beat Ireland and NZ this year then they can finally shut up 🤐
19 Go to commentsTalking bout Ryan Crotty? Heard Crotty say in a interview once that SBW doesen't care about the team . He went on to say that whenever they lost a big game, SBW would be happy as if nothing happened, according to him someone who cares would look down.. Personally I think Crotty is in the wrong, not for feeling gutted but for expecting others 2 be like him… I have been a bad loser forever as it matters so much to me but good on you SBW for being able to see the bigger picture….
26 Go to commentsThis sounds like a WWE idea so Americans can also get excited about rugby, RUGBY NEEDS A INTERNATIONAL CALENDER .. The rugby Championship and Six Nations can be held at same time, top 3 of six nations and top 3 of Rugby championship (6 nations should include Georgia AND another qualifying country while Fiji, Japan and Samoa/Tonga qualifier should make out 6 Southern teams).. Scrap June internationals and year end tours. Have a Elite top six Cup and the Bottom 6 in a secondary comp….
19 Go to commentsThe rugby championship would be even stronger with Fiji in it… I know it doesen’t fit the long term plans of NZ or Aus but you are robbing a whole nation of being able to see their best players play for Fiji…. Every second player in NZ and AUS teams has Fijian surnames… shame on you!!! World rugby won’t step in either as France and England has now also joined in…. I guess where money is involved it will always be the poor countries missing out….
84 Go to commentsNo surprise there. How hard can it be to pick a ball off the ground and chuck it to a mate? 😂
2 Go to commentsSometimes people just like a moan mate!
7 Go to commentsexcellent idea ! rugby needs this 💪
19 Go to comments9 Brumbies! What a joke! The best performing team in Oz! Ditch Skelton for Swain or Neville. Ryan Lonergan ahead of McDermott any day! Best selection bolter is Toole … amazing player
14 Go to commentsI like this, but ultimately rugby already has enough trophies. Trying to make more games “consequential" might prove to be a fools errand, although this is a less bad idea than some others. Minor quibble with the title of the article; it isn’t very meaningful to say the boks are the unofficial world champions when it would be functionally impossible for the Raeburn trophy not to be held by the world champions. There’s a period of a few months every 4 years when there is no “unofficial” world champion, and the Raeburn trophy is held by the actual world champions.
19 Go to comments