The 'hug tackle' testimony Maro Itoje gave at disciplinary hearing

Saracens’ Maro Itoje has described his yellow-carded collision last Friday with Bath’s Alfie Barbeary as a “hug tackle”. The England second row was sin-binned by referee Luke Pearce at the time, but he was later cited and had to attend a disciplinary hearing last Tuesday.

A ban would have ruled him out of his club’s remaining Gallagher Premiership regular season games versus Bristol and Sale. However, the case against him was dismissed, clearing him to play on with immediate effect. He will now be available for selection on May 11 when the defending champions visit Ashton Gate.

It was Wednesday at 11am when a brief RFU statement revealed that no further action would be taken against Itoje. The written verdict from the hearing wasn’t available when the decision was made public, but the RFU have since added the 10-page document to its website disciplinary section.

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In it, the evidence that Itoje provided to the committee consisting of Philip Evans (chair), Becky Essex, and Martyn Wood was summarised on page four. “The player gave evidence and said he now has in the region of 300 appearances in professional games, including 81 England caps.

“He recollected the incident in question coming from a set-piece and that the Bath player was involved in a carry and his intention was to prevent him attacking with the ball.

"In all of the circumstances, the panel did not conclude that a high degree of danger was created…"

– Why a discplinary hearing stood by last Friday's decision by referee Luke Pearce to only yellow card Maro Itoje at Bath. #EnglandRugby #GallagherPrem #Saracens #rugby pic.twitter.com/YbO9eEsz3S

— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) May 1, 2024

“As he approached contact, he said that he did not feel out of control. He conceded that he approached the contact too high but there was no element of danger of head loss. He was too upright. He did not dip through his hips sufficiently, misjudged the pivot and in the end, the tackle was not textbook.

“He described the tackle as a ‘hug tackle’. He recalled making contact with the Bath player’s body and said that he made an attempt to wrap in the tackle. He said he did not feel or have any concern that he had made contact with the head. He told the panel that so strong was his conviction that he did not realise there was or feel any head contact, that he would swear that was true.”

The panel was also provided with some messages written by Barbeary. They included: “Just felt contact neck and head as I got hit, didn’t feel like loads of force. Mainly through neck.”

In its findings of fact, the panel concluded that the totality of the footage viewed demonstrated that it was more likely than not that the contact was not initially with the head and was not simultaneous contact with the head and the body.

“Instead, we conclude it is more likely than not that contact with the head comes later and that is properly described as more glancing contact than direct on nature. We did not see any features such as a jolting movement of the Bath player’s head-on contact.

“The panel was informed that neither player was injured as a result of this incident. We were also informed that neither player underwent any head injury assessment.

“This panel notes that it may have provided useful information, although only as part of the overall assessment, if both players had been subject to a compulsory HIA and the results made available to the panel.”

Itoje had never been red-carded in his long career with Saracens, England, and the British and Irish Lions, and during last Friday’s game referee Pearce quickly decided that the tackle by the forward was only a yellow card offence.

Speaking to his TMO, the referee was heard on live TV saying: “It is head-on-head contact. It is foul play because 4 is upright. It’s not a flush… It’s off his shoulder and then a bit of contact with his head so it’s high danger, mitigation, yellow… it’s not flush, that’s why it’s yellow.”

• Click here to read the 10-page written verdict from the Maro Itoje disciplinary hearing