Harlequins flanker Emily Robinson receives five-week ban for headbutt
England and Harlequins flanker Emily Robinson has received a five-week ban for headbutting Saracens’ Sydney Gregson during their Premiership Women’s Rugby match last Saturday.
The ban was issued following a disciplinary hearing with the RFU on Wednesday, and means Robinson will miss Harlequins’ next five fixtures.
A contrite Robinson, 23, accepted the charge and did not attempt to excuse her actions, although she did claim an urge to protect 18-year-old Quins team-mate Ella Cromack had triggered her violent reaction.
It was a push on Cromack from Gregson which caused the red mist to descend on Robinson, who responded by charging headfirst into the Saracens centre.
The events unfolded right in front of the referee, who briefly consulted with his assistant before showing Robinson a red card. It happened just after the final whistle in what had been a miserable 31-0 home defeat for Quins.
In a statement Robinson conceded that she had shown a “complete lack of judgement,” and had “let the emotion of the occasion” get to her, describing it as a “moment of madness.” She expressed her remorse and noted that she had apologised to Gregson following the game.
She was keen to stress that her behaviour was “out of character,” a view shared by Andrew Rhys Jones, head of rugby operations for Harlequins Women, who added that Robinson was “clearly mortified by her actions.”
Despite missing games against Exeter, Gloucester-Hartpury, Leicester, Loughborough and Bristol, Robinson may consider herself lucky to have only been handed a five-week suspension.
The headbutt in itself was deemed to have been worthy of a 10-week ban, but judicial officer Oliver Clark determined that “the conduct, remorse and record of the player merited the award of the full 50 per cent mitigation.”
Robinson joined Harlequins in 2019 and made her only international appearance to date in England’s 68-5 victory over Italy in this year’s Six Nations.
