The incidents that marred the conclusion of the team’s meeting in March have resulted in fines for both St Helens and Leigh Leopards, according to confirmation from the RFL.
A member of the Leigh staff was seen attacking what appeared to be St Helens fans in video footage taken after the game back in March. Players like John Asiata were seen restraining the employee, but the incident was not given much background.
Following an investigation and ruling supported by the RFL, it was determined that the two Super League teams had violated stewarding-related operational rules. As a result, the fines are suspended until the end of the 2025 season.
Leigh Leopards have avoided a fine as a club, but St. Helens has been fined £1,500; coaching staff member Ste Maden has been fined £1,000 for his actions.
His actions were judged to be against the Respect policy, the behaviour standards, and generally detrimental to the game’s interests.
In addition, amateur team York Acorn was fined for the actions of a few of its fans during their thrilling away Challenge Cup victory over Cornwall. Additionally, the £500 fine is suspended, with the RFL considering the club’s subsequent actions.
RFL lay down the law with Saints and Leigh Leopards fined
The RFL released the following statement on the matter after learning of the fines.
In response to an incident that occurred following the Betfred Super League match between St Helens and Leigh Leopards on March 1, the team was fined £1,500 and placed on suspension until the end of the 2025 season for violating the stewarding operational rules.
“Ste Maden, a member of the Leopards coaching staff, has been fined £1,000 and is once more suspended until the end of the 2025 season for violating the Respect policy, behaviour standards, and other Operational Rules that are detrimental to the game’s interests.
Following the inappropriate behaviour of a few of their fans during a Betfred Challenge Cup match at Cornwall RLFC, York Acorn was fined £500, suspended until the end of the 2025 season, and given a formal warning. The York Acorn club reviewed their whistleblowing and safeguarding policies, trained their open-age players in social media usage, and took other steps after the incident, all of which are factored into the punishment.
First weekend of May marred by post-match incidents
This season, there have been several post-match incidents, two of which involved St Helens this past weekend, in addition to the one involving Saints and Leigh Leopards.
Sam Burgess and Richie Myler got into a heated argument on Friday night after Burgess felt that Hull had failed to see what he considered to be a glaring mistake.
The RFL received a different 21-man roster than the one Warrington posted on all of their social media platforms, as exclusively disclosed by Serious About Rugby League. The matter was brought to Warrington’s attention when Adam Holroyd was included in the matchday squad.
Warrington was fined by having an interchange docked, a move that also cost Castleford against Salford in Round Two. However, Burgess became enraged, arguing that Hull FC could have ignored the matter and that it compromised player safety.
Prior to his tunnel barging of Myler, Burgess had an outburst on Sky Sports following the game, claiming it was in response to a “smart comment.”
Following the Red Vees’ crushing 40-20 loss, footage of St Helens supporters fighting with Hull KR supporters surfaced on social media, sparking this weekend’s incident.
