Red card tackle 'categorically would not have happened' but for teammate

Newcastle Falcons full-back Louis Brown has copped a three-match ban following his red card for a dangerous tackle in the Gallagher Premiership fixture against Bath Rugby last weekend.

Brown accepted the charge without contest and acknowledged that the tackle met the red card threshold under World Rugby Law 9.13 but contends that it would not have happened but for a last-second intervention of a teammate.

In his written testimony, the 27-year-old described the incident as a rapid, instinctive reaction to an unfolding situation. Brown stated he was attempting a waist-height tackle when teammate N11 appeared to be diving into the same channel.

“I instinctively backed out of the tackle leaving me in an upright position to avoid making forcible head-on-head contact with my team mate,” Brown said. “It categorically would not have happened if my team mate wasn’t involved in the tackle.”

“I apologised to the Bath player immediately and apologised to both the player and referee straight after the game.”

The panel considered Brown’s clean disciplinary record, acceptance of responsibility and demonstration of remorse. He left the field without dissent and apologised to the Bath player both on the pitch and after the game.

The Bath player needed treatment on the field but didn’t require a head injury assessment and was able to continue.

No injury was reported.

The panel found the incident to be reckless rather than deliberate, with Brown’s upright position seen as the result of a late adjustment in a fast-moving situation.

Newcastle Falcons had been leading early in the second half before eventually losing the game with the red card considered to have played a role in the result. There were no aggravating factors and a mid-range entry point for the sanction was deemed appropriate.

Brown will now miss games against Saracens, Gloucester and Leicester Tigers. That ban could be reduced to two matches if he completes World Rugby’s Coaching Intervention Programme.