Retiring New Zealand rugby league great Jared Waerea-Hargreaves will have the chance to end his career with an English Super League trophy after having his three-match ban overturned before Sunday’s (NZ time) grand final between Hull Kingston Rovers and the Wigan Warriors.
The 36-year-old was charged with a Grade Chead contact offence after Hull KR’s semifinal win, for making contact with the head of St Helens winger Jon Bennison, who left the field and didn’t return after failing his head injury assessment.
There was no penalty awarded, and the video referee did not take any further action during the game, but Waerea-Hargreaves was later slapped with a three-match ban due to the Super League’s disciplinary points system.
However, the Robins have successfully appealed the decision, allowing Waerea-Hargreaves to take to the field for one last time and help his side win their first Super League title since 1985.
“The RFL’s independent Operational Rules Tribunal upheld the player’s not guilty play,” The Rugby Football League said in a statement. “He is therefore free to play in the grand final.”
Speaking to the Sydney Morning Herald before the ban was overturned, Hull KR coach Willie Peters said he was desperate for Waerea-Hargreaves to play.
“We want Jared to bow out a winner, because that’s exactly what he is,” Peters said.
Jared Warea-Hargreaves of the Kiwis. Photo / Photosport
“You can’t really put a value on what Jared has given us - there’s the big-game experience, but it’s also what he does off the field, including the intensity he brings and standards he sets at training.
“We have a chance to win a third trophy, and we’d love him to be there this weekend because he’s been a huge part of it.”
In his first year at the club, Waerea-Hargreaves has played 23 games and helped Hull KR win the Challenge Cup, a knockout tournament featuring teams from the sports’ top five divisions in the United Kingdom, for just the second time.
In April he, announced he would retire at the end of the season, bringing an end to a decorated 18-year career in rugby league.
He made his NRL debut in 2009 with the Manly Sea Eagles, where he featured on six occasions before moving to the Sydney Roosters, where he played a club-record 310 appearances, winning three NRL grand finals in 2013, 2018 and 2019, four minor premierships and three World Club Challenge titles.
He also played 33 tests for the Kiwis, including appearances in multiple Rugby League World Cups, playing a key role in the Kiwis’ run to the final in 2013. His last test came in 2022 at the World Cup against Ireland.
He’s also one of just seven New Zealanders to have played in more than 300 NRL games, alongside Simon Mannering, Kieran Foran, Ruben Wiki, Adam Blair, Jesse Bromwich and Benji Marshall.
Ben Francis is an Auckland-based reporter for the New Zealand Herald who covers breaking sports news.
