Hull KR star set for tribunal after spitting incident as three players charged
Sauaso 'Jesse' Sue holds the Challenge Cup aloft following Hull KR's victory over Warrington Wolves in the competition's 2025 final
Hull KR prop Sauaso Sue has been ordered to face a tribunal on Tuesday evening and faces a minimum six-match suspension after being charged with spitting in the Challenge Cup final.
Sue was involved in an incident with Warrington’s Josh Thewlis during the second half of Rovers’ win against the Wolves at Wembley on Saturday afternoon.
Thewlis appeared to make a complaint before replays showed Sue spitting in Thewlis’ direction. The incident was put on report by referee Liam Moore, with no further action taken on the pitch.
But now, the Match Review Panel has determined that Sue has a case to answer on Tuesday evening, hitting him with a Grade E spitting charge and summoning him to a tribunal that will potentially rule him out of a significant chunk of the season.
Under the RFL’s new disciplinary guidelines for 2025, any charge of Grade E automatically result in a tribunal. The punishment if found guilty begins at a six-match suspension, though the actual penalty point total handed out will be at the discretion of the tribunal.
But Rovers are now facing up to the prospect of one of their most important forwards being ruled out for a long period if the charge is upheld.
Two more Robins have been charged with incidents from the final, too. Joe Burgess’ tackle on Thewlis has led to a Grade B head contact charge, and a three-point penalty.
Meanwhile, James Batchelor has been hit with a Grade C head contact charge and punished to the tune of five penalty points. However, both Burgess and Batchelor’s disciplinary records were clean before these incidents, meaning they have not reached the threshold for a one-match ban.
Disciplinary charges from Challenge Cup final
Joe Burgess (Hull KR): Grade B Head Contact – 3 points
Sauaso Sue (Hull KR): Grade E Spitting – Refer to tribunal
James Batchelor (Hull KR): Grade C Head Contact – 5 points
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