Law 9.13 A player must not tackle an opponent early, late or dangerouslyUnder World Rugby’s Sanctions for Foul Play, Law 9.13 carries the following sanction entry points – Low End: 2 weeks; Mid-range: 6 weeks; Top end: 10 to 52 weeks
An independent Disciplinary Committee comprising Mark Curran (Ireland), Chair, Daniel White (England) and Valeriu Toma (Romania) studied video imagery of the incident, and heard evidence from Williams, who accepted the red card decision.The committee also heard submissions from the Scarlets head coach Dwayne Peel and team manager Sara Davies. The Scarlets lost the game 38-17.The committee upheld the red card decision, finding that in carrying out the tackle in a dangerous and reckless manner, Williams had made contact with Hériteau’s head.Taking into account the injuries suffered by Hériteau, the committee then determined that the offending was at the top end of World Rugby’s sanctions and 12 weeks was selected as the appropriate entry point.Due to his timely acceptance of the charge and his apology to Hériteau, the committee decided to reduce the sanction by the maximum of 50% before imposing a six-week suspension. The date when Williams can return to play will be determined once the committee has received full details of his future playing schedule. Both the player and EPCR have the right to appeal the decision.
