Sydney Rugby Union (SRU) advised All Premiership Clubs on 30 July, 2024 an Independent Review would be undertaken concerning the SRU Decision regarding Eastern Suburbs DRUFC (Easts) and their player points for Round 11 of the 1st Grade Shute Shield fixture.
All clubs were afforded the right to make a submission for consideration, Easts were provided the right to reply to submissions and a final reply afforded to all clubs that made submissions.
The Independent Review has been undertaken and the following recommendations were made to the SRU. The SRU Board met this evening and resolved to accept and implement recommendations i, ii & iii and to consult with the Premiership Clubs prior to deciding whether to implement recommendation iv. (see below)
(i) The Board vacate the Decision of the 19thJuly 2024.
(ii) In lieu thereof, the Board impose the sanction as set out in Clause 11 of the Manual on Easts for this contravention in the First Grade Competition “being the loss of five (5) Competition points and the respective Championship points and a penalty of $100”.
(iii) That for benefit of the Clubs to avoid confusion Clause 11 of the Manual be amended to provide that Player Points System allocation of points is to rely upon information provided by Opta Rugby.
(iv) Should the Board or other authority it appoints in the future wish to have a discretion in relation to the current issue the terms of the second sanction in Clause 11.4 be amended to read as follows;
“Following the completion of Round 1, exceeding the Points cap in any one round in a grade or colts fixture may result in the loss of five (5) Competition points and the respective Championship points and a penalty of $100.”
SRU would like to thank Mr Jeffrey Phillips SC for his time in conducting the Independent Review.
The full Independent review can be found here.
