Walters was sent off against Hull KR on Saturday
Wigan forward Sam Walters has landed a huge ban after a tackle on Hull KR hooker Bill Leyland.
Wigan Warriors’ Sam Walters has been handed a huge ban by the Match Review Panel after being sent off in the Challenge Cup final.
Walters saw red in the closing stages of the Warriors’ win over Hull KR on Saturday after dumping Bill Leyland on his head in a tackle. Junior Nsemba was also involved in the tackle but Walters is the man adjudged to have been in the wrong by both the video referee and the disciplinary panel.
And, he will now miss the next seven games after being handed a Grade F charge and 35 disciplinary points.
There is precedent in this case, with Hull FC prop Yusuf Aydin being given 35 points for a similar challenge on Bradford Bulls Caleb Aekins last month at Odsal.
Aydin got a five game ban on that occasion, with Walters’ previous working against him on this occasion, with the Wigan ban being charged for headbutting in the Cup quarter-final clash with Wakefield Trinity in April.
Wigan have the right to appeal the ban, but the above example suggests they might not have too much room to manoeuvre, with the 4.5 points being carried over from that headbutting incident taking him over the threshold for a seven game ban.
It means Walters will miss the full month of June, with a return currently scheduled for July 24, when Wigan host rivals St Helens at the Brick Community Stadium.
Walters will be walking a disciplinary tightrope for the remainder of the year now as well, as he moves forward with 13.25 points. That means a simple Grade A charge would result in a two-game ban.
Walters’ Wigan teammate Harry Smith has also been charged by the MRP. He caught Tom Davies high in the game and it came as a surprise to many that the incident was deemed to be penalty sufficient, with Liam Moore keeping his cards in his pocket.
However, he has now been handed a Grade B head contact charge and that’s enough to take him over the threshold for a one-game ban. He’ll miss this weekend’s trip to Paris to play Catalans Dragons as a result.
Hull KR prop Sam Luckley is the only other man charged this week, collecting a Grade A late contact on passer charge. That comes with one disciplinary point with no further action necessary.