Three St Helens players banned after ill-tempered defeat by Leeds Rhinos

06 March 2023 , 17:06

541     0

Sione Mata'utia was one of three St Helens players slapped with a ban after the Leeds Rhinos clash (Image: Gareth Copley/Getty Images)

Champions St Helens have had three players banned while opponents Leeds Rhinos have seen Sam Walters retrospectively punished after Friday’s Super League clash.

Konrad Hurrell has been handed a two-match penalty notice for his red card striking offence and Saints team-mate Sione Mata’utia’s been given the same for his dangerous contact that led to a yellow card.

Curtis Sironen has received a one-match penalty notice for the dangerous contact he made that led to his own sin-binning so all three miss Friday’s trip to Leigh with Hurrell and Mata’utia also sitting out next week’s visit of Hull.

However, controversially, the match review panel has charged Leeds forward Walters with a Grade B shoulder charge and fined him £250 after his challenge on Matty Lees.

That came late on in the contest in front of the Leeds posts with the game tied at 24-24. But referee Chris Kendall and his team of officials deemed that legal - and instead penalised Saints’ Jack Welsby for running in and starting a melee.

Gay rugby league referee lifts lid on how coming out affected officiating career

Hurrell was red-carded soon after and Blake Austin struck a winning drop goal for Leeds with just seconds remaining.

Hull KR captain Shaun Kenny-Dowall is also facing a ban (Allan McKenzie/SWpix.com)

Elsewhere, Hull KR captain Shaun Kenny-Dowall could be banned for up to five games. He’s been referred to a tribunal charged with Grade E ‘unnecessary contact with a player who is or maybe injured’ in Rovers’ loss to Leigh.

Leigh’s Ben Reynolds has received a two-game ban for a Grade D dangerous contact while team-mate Edwin Ipape, Hull KR’s Sauaso Sue and Castleford’s Liam Watts have all been fined for dangerous contacts.

David Craven