Harlequins hooker Jack Walker suspended for one match after two dangerous tackles
Harlequins hooker Jack Walker has been suspended for one match after admitting to two dangerous tackles in his side's game at Exeter Chiefs. The ban rules him out of Harlequins' Prem Rugby Cup game against Newcastle Red Bulls on Saturday 14 November.
A hooker is the forward who strikes the ball back with his foot in scrums and throws it in at lineouts, the lines of jumping players at the side of the pitch. Walker is 30 and has played four Prem games for Harlequins this season. The Prem is the Premiership, England's top club competition.
The tackles came in the match at Exeter on Saturday 31 October. Walker was not shown a yellow card for either one. A yellow card sends a player to the sin-bin for ten minutes, so the referee's decision on the day did not take him off the field. Instead, he received two Citing Commissioner Warnings after the final whistle, according to BBC Sport.
A citing commissioner is a match review official who studies incidents on video after the game. Their warnings are formal notices that a player's conduct has been looked at. Walker's suspension followed that process.
Harlequins have also published a notice on their website titled "Disciplinary: Jack Walker", dated 3 November. The club's official website lists the fixture against Newcastle at Kingston Park, with kick-off at 2:30 pm on 14 November.
For Harlequins, the ban means finding a hooker for that trip to the north-east. The club's next listed fixture after that is away at Saracens on 21 November, at the StoneX Stadium, with a 12 noon kick-off.
Walker's ban is a reminder of how rugby polices the tackle. Players are expected to tackle below the shoulders and to control their body weight, because contact with an opponent's head or a lift that drops someone can cause serious injury. A tackle can be penalised or carded on the day, but it can also be reviewed later on video, as this one was.
Whether Walker returns for the Saracens game is not yet clear. His one-match ban covers only the Newcastle fixture.
