One player hitting another could be assault. Two players fighting could be classed as affray. It depends on whether a hypothetical bystander in close proximity would feel personally threatened. Hence a pub brawl would likely be affray but a regulated boxing match normally wouldnt. It does depend on the circumstances but I think CPS would think twice about bringing affray charges over a rugby match fight.

Personally I enjoy a bit of biff at games, so satisfying watching Sculthorpe plant one right on Griffins orrible face for example. But if they were to clamp down on it, I think that an ice - hockey style 5m sin bin could be used.

I look at it in the same way as i look at Boxing, these players get paid to play a High impact, Heavy contact and violent sport. It comes with the Territory, the only thing i feel that should be dealt with by the police are incidents of headbutting and other extreme cases of violence on the pitch.

I doubt that would carry in any sort of legal challenge. Technically a tackle is a tackle not an assault. Off a rugby league pitch it may be deemed such. On a rugby league pitch though no. On a rugby union pitch I believe Bill McLaren used to criticise them by suggesting they were something that had creeped in from rugby league and had no place in rugby union.

Newton would never be out of clink then would he?

The one on Gilmour in the same match was worse IMO and he admitted to Long (according to Long's book) that he intended hurting Gilmour.

Technically as always you are very wrong.

'An assault is any act which intentionally or recklessly causes another person to apprehend immediate and unlawful personal violence '

So a tackle IS technically an assault.


However a defence is the 'unlawful' word in the definition.

A reasonable person would accept that any 'contact' in a 'contact sport' is perfectly lawful, therefore thats why no offence is committed.

HTH

Ive heard of amateur players being prosecuted and even sued by the player they hurt

I seem to remember a player from one of the Bradford amateur teams (Clayton?) being jailed for an assault on an opposing player a few years back.

There is a defence of the act being part of a lawful sport. As there has been a long history of biff in RL any half decent brief could argue that a bit of handbags is a part of the game and as such doesn't even always result in a sin binning.

Not much danger of anyone in my team being charged then.

I'd disagree it's part of the laws and spirit of the game so any player taking the pitch agreed to get tackled like a boxer agrees to get punched as a boxer is punched in the ring it is not an assault. So an assault is a crime and tackling isn't so hence no crime no assault.

It's a hard one pro can lose income through fines etc. So it should not be assault and lets protect the biff. Amateur is different no cameras to review no big fines for players and banning them won't really do much. But if you stamp kick or cheap shot an opponent in amateur you risk him losing time at work and you should cover that cost

So if scrapping in sport is technically assault, where does this leave boxing, judo, karate, MMA, Tae Kwon Do, Wrestling (well ... maybe not wrestling)?

I've seen the police get involved in stopping a brawl once, when Leeds played Widnes way back in the 80s. That was because the fight spread to the touchline and there was a danger of spectators getting accidentally hurt. No problem with that at all.

Also, I think everyone can distinguish between a 'bit of biff' involving a degree of intent from both sides, and blatant thuggery - cheap shots when someone's on the ground for example, or elbows to the head of someone unable to defend themselves (Moriarty on Hugh Waddell springs to mind, and IIRC Waddell seriously thought about suing for that one). If a player got seriously injured from the former, I'd say hard luck, from the latter I'd have no problem if they wanted to press charges, as I don't care what anyone says, there is no room for out-and-out thugery in the game.