RFL decide not to ban shoulder charge

The shoulder charge, recently banned in the NRL, will not be outlawed by the RFL until an international consultation is concluded.

Despite being removed from competition in Australia, the technique remains legal under international rules, which the Rugby League International Federation (RLIF) is currently reviewing.

After consulting clubs and players in the UK, the RFL have announced the shoulder charge will still be allowed in all its competitions, including Super League, Championships, Challenge Cup and community leagues.

RFL Laws Committee Secretary Blake Solly said: “The RFL Laws Committee has renewed its commitment to standardising the laws of the game across all nations and competitions wherever possible, and noted that this process is underway within the RLIF at the moment.

“The RLIF has proposed standardising a number of the laws of the game, including the use of the shoulder charge, and we are in the process of responding to these proposals. We believe that this process is an important way of reducing the number of differences in the laws across the various nations and enhancing the credibility of the sport.

“To that extent we will assist the RLIF as they discuss the topic in coming months and will support any decision they make.

“A decision was reached not to outlaw the shoulder charge for competitions at this stage but to await the outcome of the RLIF’s consultation.

“I would like to thank the players, coaches and clubs for their enthusiastic participation in the consultation.”