Scarlets back Liam Williams was today cited for his challenge on an airborne Cardiff wing Alex Cuthbert in the first half of last Sunday’s match at the Millennium Stadium.

Liam Williams, the Scarlets full back, has been cited for an alleged dangerous tackle, contrary to Law 10.4 (e), following the RaboDirect PRO12 match against Cardiff Blues at the Millennium Stadium on Sunday 20 April 2014.

Aside from this, Williams will also have to deal with a mandatory citing hearing for the red card he received later in the same game.

A busy boy, was Liam.

IRB Memo: Player in the air lands on head/neck = Red Card

From his conversation at the time, referee Ian Davies’ interpretation of the incident might well have been based on the wording of an IRB memo issued after the Jared Payne collision with Alex Goode which paid particular attention to the landing position of the player in the air. Guardian journalist Mike Averis seemed to refer to the memo last weekend in his match report from Bath versus Worcesterⁱ.

At the Millennium Stadium, Ian Davies had reviewed the incident along with the TMO, Gareth Simmonds, and appeared to decide that due to Cuthbert’s landing position not being on the head/neck area the incident did not merit a red card.

By the fact that Williams is now being cited, it is clear that citing commissioner Gwyn Bowden has disagreed with Davies’ judgement of the incident.

Laws and Lawyering

Is Bowden saying that Davies misinterpreted the IRB memo? Or is he maybe disagreeing with the memo himself? Well, perhaps neither.

The devil is in the detail.

Let’s go back to the Jared Payne incident, seemingly the ground zero for mid-air collisions in 2014. Payne was not banned for a dangerous tackle but instead for contravening a slightly different section of Law 10.4:

Law 10.4(i) Tackling, tapping, pushing or pulling an opponent jumping for the ball in open play

Liam Williams, however, has been cited for a dangerous tackle under Law 10.4 (e). What is Law 10.4 (e), anyway?

Law 10.4 (e): Dangerous tackling. A player must not tackle an opponent whose feet are off the ground

It might be reasonable to therefore assume that Bowden has not viewed Williams’ contact with Cuthbert as being accidental and part of a mistimed attempt to win the ball himself, as per the IRB memoⁱⁱ, but rather a deliberate attempt to tackle the player in the airⁱⁱⁱ.

If so, it’s a neat way of sidestepping debate over the IRB memo and the various landing positions an airborne player might or might not assume after being hit by a player still on the ground. And for those who might have viewed Williams as having been very lucky to stay on the pitch in the first place they might view this as a case of justice being done in the end, by whatever means.

But it’s not quite that simple, I fear.

Rugby Needs Clarity

Whatever the outcome of Williams’ hearing, the fact that three officials from the same union have looked at an incident and come to two different decisions, perhaps based on two different laws, is not ideal.

For the sake of clarity, safety and sanity, let’s get it right.

Related Reading: http://www.andymcgeady.com/alex-cuthberts-hip-saved-liam-williams-getting-red-card-referee-ian-davies-correct/