EXPLAINED: Why Grobbelaar's red card was rescinded

UPDATE: The United Rugby Championship disciplinary panel has given an explanation for rescinding another red card.

For the second successive week in the URC, the Bulls had a red card rescinded.

As rugby365com reported on Monday, the red card issued against replacement hooker Johan Grobbelaar – for a high tackle on Scarlets prop Marnus van der Merwe in the 67th minute of the 22-23 loss in Llanelli last Friday – has been scratched off.

The previous weekend, in a 29-19 win against the Ospreys, David Kriel received a red card for a hand-off, but it was rescinded.

Bulls Director of Rugby Jake White, in the wake of the Grobbelaar card, made it clear he felt it was not a red card.

And his view was shared by the disciplinary panel.

The Panel overseeing the disciplinary process – Ben Rutherford (Chairman, Ireland), Roddy MacLeod (Scotland) and John Carroll (Ireland) – found that while an act of foul play had occurred, there was not a high degree of danger and the player did not enter contact in a dynamic manner or with a high degree of force.

The panel found that the high contact, although it occurred in an instant, was avoidable.

The player knew or ought to have known the risk of committing foul play when electing to attempt a tackle in his body position with minimal time to get low and prepare for contact after reacting to a missed tackle by a teammate.

“Therefore, the panel found that the tackle did not meet the red card threshold,” a statement from the URC said, adding: “The card was thus rescinded.”

As a result, Grobbelaar is now free to play and available for selection when the Bulls face Benetton in Treviso on Friday.

* Related

Bulls have another red card scratched off