I think this talk of Wigan players staying down injured too long to give the TMO time to look at the tackle is harsh. First one he took a shoulder to the chin and the second was a huge hit like he’d been hit by a car!
Rugby League - 2024 edition
- Thread starter jojojo
- Start date
Errors, penalties and that absolutely woeful interception were put on a plate tonight. If you play like that against quality opposition you'll need to dig very deep, and the sin binnings were obviously key. I'm delighted with the win but they need to smarten up their act pronto, or HKR and Warrington may get the better of them.
I've got to ask - what has happened to St Helens this season? Player turnover? Injuries? Just one of those years?
They had that brutal run of injuries where they had 8 or so first teamers out for a while, that being said they lost some matches they probably still should have won
They’re fecking shit
I meant this season in particular though
Thanks. I don't watch them enough to know who's missing when I do see them.
It's making the top six race a bit of fun though.
Speaking of which - a bit unlucky that Salford Catalans are on BBC2 at the same time as the England game.
On another note, what's going on with the yellow and red cards being dished out so frequently of late? The recent red card for Paul Vaughan of Warrington seemed a fairly standard challenge, but the ref deemed it a poor tackle "without mitigation", and he's wound up with a three game ban. Today we saw two yellow cards for challenges which appeared to be adjudicated on the basis that the player on the receiving end of the tackle was "injured", rather than on the basis of the merits of the tackles themselves. The Rugby League appears to be highly wary of future litigation, but the current situation is ruining the game.
I didn't see the Warrington game, but I remember at the start of the season the officials were handing out a lot of cards. Then they swung the pendulum back in the other direction. I have seen the benefit of doubt given recently where it's looked like the grounds were "no one would do that deliberately" - when it still looked reckless.
Maybe they've decided it swung back too far and want to make statement before it hits play off games? I wonder if the clubs have been warned a correction is coming? I guess it depends on whether the same kind of shift is happening in other matches as well.
They’ve seen what’s happened in union. The threat of litigation is already coming to the fore and consequently the game is much harsher on head contact.
And as in union, it was taken too far initially, disrupted the game too much…..and in a month or so we’ll see it swing back a bit
Going into the final round of the league and 5 playoff spots have been decided. Leigh are in the driving seat to get the sixth but need to win at home to St Helens to guarantee it. That's on Friday night at 8. Leeds are playing at Hull KR at the same time.
Catalans Dragons will go into their match on Saturday (3pm) at Hull FC knowing what if anything they can do.
Wigan play Salford on the Friday night. Warrington play London. I'm not expecting the top three to change positions but maybe someone will surprise me. It does give Hull KR something to play for against Leeds though.
Catalans Dragons will go into their match on Saturday (3pm) at Hull FC knowing what if anything they can do.
Wigan play Salford on the Friday night. Warrington play London. I'm not expecting the top three to change positions but maybe someone will surprise me. It does give Hull KR something to play for against Leeds though.
I would be amazed if KR lose to Leeds, so Catalans are the ones who could sneak in if Saints do the business against Leigh. Leigh - Saints is the most interesting final game, but it's a real shame it isn't the playoff decider between those two particular teams that it was shaping up to be a few weeks ago.
It's also hilarious that Hull FC have hit the bottom by a single point's difference due to the battering they took from Salford. It's come down to who can get less-badly hammered on the final day between FC and London to avoid the wooden spoon.
Salford will obviously want to win the Wigan game anyway, but they will especially not want Saints sneaking above them either. It's going to be tough for Wigan.
It's also hilarious that Hull FC have hit the bottom by a single point's difference due to the battering they took from Salford. It's come down to who can get less-badly hammered on the final day between FC and London to avoid the wooden spoon.
Salford will obviously want to win the Wigan game anyway, but they will especially not want Saints sneaking above them either. It's going to be tough for Wigan.
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Leeds have been all over the place this season but if Hull KR show up I doubt there's anything Leeds can do to stop them. Finishing top two will matter to them, so I think you're right, a Leeds win would be a shock.
I honestly don't know what to expect at Leigh. My instincts say Leigh will win because they're on good form and they need the win whereas it's less critical for St Helens. Dunno'
There would be something vaguely comical about Catalans sneaking into the playoffs though.
I've just heard Salford have made 14 changes to their squad for tomorrow. They'd rather be fresh and suspension-free going forward than fight for fourth place. Fair enough, I hope the Wigan players do their jobs.
So it's Warrington v St Helens and Salford v Leigh next week. As a Wires fan, I'd definitely rather play Saints than Leigh at the moment.
Saints still look awful, even after they've welcomed a few key players back. Every Saints fan I've spoken to thinks they'll get killed in the playoffs, particularly if they have to play yourselves away from home.
First of the playoffs and Leigh beat Salford 14-6
Nasty collision for Josh Charnley - they took a long time to prepare him to move. Good thing was he was clearly conscious and could control his hands/arms. Fingers crossed he'll be ok and they were just being careful with him.
Adrian Lam has just told Sky that Charnley's been taken to hospital in a neck brace for assessment.
Nasty collision for Josh Charnley - they took a long time to prepare him to move. Good thing was he was clearly conscious and could control his hands/arms. Fingers crossed he'll be ok and they were just being careful with him.
Adrian Lam has just told Sky that Charnley's been taken to hospital in a neck brace for assessment.
Charnley is home from hospital having spent the night at Salford Royal. Good news that - it's always a worry when you see the medics handling someone that carefully.
Now starting - Warrington v St Helens on Sky and BBC2. St Helens are the underdogs, which still feels odd to say.
Now starting - Warrington v St Helens on Sky and BBC2. St Helens are the underdogs, which still feels odd to say.
Think I’d rather Warrington win so they play Hull KR in one semi and we (Wigan) get Leigh.
Missed the game but sounds like a cracker. Sweet to beat Saints at the last gasp after them doing the same to Wire so many times!
Think the week’s rest might be a crucial advantage for KR though. I’m sure Sam Burgess must regret fielding a shadow team against Wigan the week before the challenge cup final. A win for Warrington in that game would have made them league leaders.
Strange shortlist for Coach of the Year in the super league this year! Whilst Matt Peet, Willie Peters and Paul Rowley are good nominations, it seems strange that Sam Burgess has been overlooked, after taking Warrington to the Challenge Cup final and also to within two points of the League Leader's Shield, from a position a year ago of sixth place. This seems additionally odd, when the fourth nominee is Mike Eccles of London Broncos, who, according to the BBC "only narrowly missed out on finishing in 11th (second bottom!) position.
Still, maybe it's additional motivation for the Warrington camp to qualify for, and even win, the forthcoming Grand Final. Surely this potential scenario would make the above shortlist look pretty ridiculous?
Still, maybe it's additional motivation for the Warrington camp to qualify for, and even win, the forthcoming Grand Final. Surely this potential scenario would make the above shortlist look pretty ridiculous?
Incredible win for Hull KR. What a game
Fantastic game, but at the risk of sounding bitter, it was a poor decision by the on-field referee to send up the Burgess effort as a try...he was simply guessing, and of course the video referee had to find actual evidence to the contrary in order to overrule.
Hull KR have been brilliant this year though; hope they go on to win the final.
That was a fecking bollocks decision that’s cost us the game pretty much. No way Liam Moore saw that grounded, he just guessed and that on field decision is fecking bollocks as well.
I hope that specky twat Hull fan has had his house broken into as well. Gimp.
That said, I’d rather Hull win it rather than fecking Wigan or Leigh.
Shocking decision. Burgess basically admitted afterwards that he didn’t ground it.
That said, although KR defended like dogs at the end, Warrington through it away. Why oh why did they only use their left edge? Every fecking set was set it up in the middle then take it through the left edge. It was so predictable…..there was one point (possibly 65/70 mins) where they were set the middle, 20 metres out, there was a 3 on 1 on the right, and they went left.
One for the RL casuals here - my lad just played a Yorkshire Cup game against Locklane. feck me, what a tough game. Basically playing against Leeds and Castlefords academy. A hard day at the office
Wigan kind of expectedly handing out an absolute beat down to Leigh. Can't see them losing the final either
Ruthlessly solid performance from Wigan. Though Leigh didn't do themselves any favours.
I can't help but think that Warrington would have been stronger final opponents than Hull KR - if only on the basis of form during the run in. Time for HKR to surprise me again then.
I can't help but think that Warrington would have been stronger final opponents than Hull KR - if only on the basis of form during the run in. Time for HKR to surprise me again then.
Aussie NRL final is just so good. 37 minutes of ball in play in the first half
Crazy watching it. Can’t take your eyes of it. It’s no wonder Union has fallen apart in Australia because the NRL is such an amazing competition
Incredible win for Penrith this, what a massive performance to win the final. Cleary is just so good.
Crazy decision by the tv ref in the women's final, there is no way he could overturn that on field decision based on the evidence available
Wigans defence looking like the fecking iron curtain.
I do have to question the sanity of having Nsomba back on the field though. He was out cold for a minute at least, how the feck it he allowed back on 10 minutes later? I don’t care if he passed the ‘head injury assessment’…..it doesn’t look good for player safety
I do have to question the sanity of having Nsomba back on the field though. He was out cold for a minute at least, how the feck it he allowed back on 10 minutes later? I don’t care if he passed the ‘head injury assessment’…..it doesn’t look good for player safety
Also Wigans kicking game is so superior at the moment, absolutely the difference maker
Just got back from Old Trafford. It's really pleasing how solid Peet's Wigan get at the business end of the season these days. When you're playing against good teams like KR you aren't necessarily going to be blowing them off the park with flair. You need to be willing to execute the basics time and again over 80 minutes and work your fecking bollocks off, and we seem to be up for that challenge more often than not.
French is a special player and this is a great group of SL players.
French is a special player and this is a great group of SL players.
Looking at the scoreline, you'd say it was a tight match. Watching the game from the sofa it felt more like a never in doubt.
A bit of a shame that HKR missed out on that on that early try/VAR call - that might have made more of a game of it. I don't think it would have done though.
Brilliant season for Wigan and for Matt Peet. Hard to top that. I wonder if he fancies a change of scenery to Australia to give everyone else a chance now
A bit of a shame that HKR missed out on that on that early try/VAR call - that might have made more of a game of it. I don't think it would have done though.
Brilliant season for Wigan and for Matt Peet. Hard to top that. I wonder if he fancies a change of scenery to Australia to give everyone else a chance now
Lucky bugger, bet that was a hell of a watch live. Were there any points you thought “shit, this is in the balance”? HKR had opportunities, they just couldn’t breach that amazing defence