Monday’s announcement Salford Red Devils face an investigation into their squad selection for the 82-0 defeat to St Helens served as a reminder just how rare it is for a club to actually be punished for fielding a weakened team.
Head coach Paul Rowley’s decision to select what was virtually a reserve team for their 2025 Betfred Super League opener drew opprobrium from plenty of quarters, not least of all Leigh Leopards owner Derek Beaumont in a furious post on social media platform X.
For his part, Rowley offered a staunch defence in a pre-match interview which was broadcast ahead of BBC Two’s live coverage of the game at Totally Wicked Stadium, with the Red Devils boss citing the restrictions placed on the club while their takeover awaits RFL approval.
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The governing body announced a compliance investigation into the matter on Monday afternoon, citing the circumstances around the selection of the 17-man squad – only 16 of whom featured against Saints – and whether Salford had brought the sport into disrepute.
Yet the most notable example rugbyleaguehub.com could find of a Super League club actually being punished for fielding a weakened team was, coincidentally, last weekend’s winners St Helens, who were fined £25,000 back in 2002 following a pre-Challenge Cup final clash against Bradford Bulls.
On that occasion, then-Saints head coach Ian Millward claimed his team had 12 players unavailable for a Super League match at Valley Parade due to injury, with encounter coming a week before the visitors were due to face Wigan Warriors in the Cup final at Murrayfield.
Matters were further complicated by Millward not bringing on an interchange player for the on-loan Paul Southern after he suffered cracked ribs, claiming first-half injuries to two other players, which left St Helens to see out the last 26 minutes of the 54-22 defeat with 12 players on the pitch.
Then-Bradford chairman Chris Caisley led the chorus of disapproval, claiming Saints had damaged the game and treated the sponsors and spectators with contempt, and that the decision to field a team shorn of so many regulars had cost the Bulls £35,000 due to their attendance being 3,000 down on what they were expecting.
Caisley even suggested the events of that day would have damaged the image of the sport to the extent that it would affect the value of the competition’s broadcast deal with Sky Sports, which was up for renewal at the end of the following season.
Millward’s argument that he would have been bringing the sport into disrepute had he not ensured St Helens had their strongest-possible team available for one of rugby league’s showpiece occasions in the Challenge Cup final cut no ice with an advisory panel, which issued the subsequent punishment.
The investigation into Salford is likely to focus around Rule B1:10, of not fielding a full-strength team, and Rule D1:1 (b), covering conduct which brings rugby league into disrepute, of the RFL’s Operational Rules for Tiers 1-3.
If the Red Devils are found guilty, fine for breaching Rule B1:10 is unlikely to attract anything near the level of the one levied on St Helens 22 years ago, with the Off Field Sentencing Guidelines recommending a £5,000 fine for a Super League club.
Sporting sanctions, such as points deductions, could be added by a tribunal.
However, the guidelines are less clear on the punishment being found guilty of bringing the game into disrepute – a catch-all term beloved by governing bodies of all sports which allows them to launch disciplinary action over conduct which does not contravene specific rules and regulations – would attract.
Salford will no doubt argue they had no choice given they remain in special measures and under a £1.2million sustainability cap while their takeover, more details of which were exclusively revealed by rugbyleaguehub.com, waits to be rubber-stamped by the RFL.
It is interesting to note there are examples of resting players which are not entirely dissimilar St Helens over two decades ago which did not attract any investigation, including Hull KR against Wigan ahead of the 2023 final and even Salford against the Warriors last year the week before their a crucial final-round regular-season game.
Which begs the question, when is a weakened team actually a weakened team which contravenes the rules?
In any case, the Red Devils have seven days to respond to the investigation.
