158 replies to this topic

[Dave T]

Best team won by a mile. Wigan played all the football and it could have been forty. The one thing that bothered me was the incident where Saints raked the ball in a two man tackle when the Wigan player was about to ground it. for me that wasn't a penalty - it was a penalty try.

They changed the rules on that a couple of years back. If a player is in the process of scoring then you can steal and simply a penalty will be given for a two man steal. God knows why, I agree with you, it should be a penalty try as only foul play has prevented a try.

[Riversiderontour]

i still cant believe we won the damn thing!

Sore head today

I thought Gleeson was outstanding, mind you, they all were

Oh happy days

[Riversiderontour]

Wigan by a pondfull

This Sts side going on about unbeaten in 8, played nowt

no stand off, no scrum half,

Wigan to stride right over the buggers by 30

Not quite 30

I wished we had kicked them penalties at the time tho, how many did we miss was it 4???

would of made the last 10 minutes less of a peeping from behind fingers affair.

[hindle xiii]

Locker Cup.

What is this Locker Cup you keep mentioning? Is it a pre-season Widnes thing?

[Riversiderontour]

What is this Locker Cup you keep mentioning? Is it a pre-season Widnes thing?

Warrington thing

[hindle xiii]

They changed the rules on that a couple of years back. If a player is in the process of scoring then you can steal and simply a penalty will be given for a two man steal. God knows why, I agree with you, it should be a penalty try as only foul play has prevented a try.

Because 99% of the time a player is trying to hold the ball up off the ground when near or over the line. Why wouldn't they try to stop the ball being grounded? However, all it takes then is the attacker to release the ball and it's a penalty try. It's only the odd occasion where the obvious intent is to steal/dislodge the ball, Shaun Briscoe punching out the ball from Darrell Goulding's grasp in the play-off game being one.

[hindle xiii]

Warrington thing

Ta.

[Trojan]

Warrington thing

It's like a charity shield isn't it? Leeds and Hunslet used to play for the Lazenby Cup, I'm not sure whether they still do.

[Riversiderontour]

It's like a charity shield isn't it? Leeds and Hunslet used to play for the Lazenby Cup, I'm not sure whether they still do.

Im not sure "Charity" would be the right word!

Quintessential boxing match with an occasional game of Rugby breaking out.

[Padge]

Based on Chris Flannery's performance again, why are English clubs so obssessed with signing imports ?

And no, Thomas Leuluai was not the best player on the field, Sam Tomkins was by a mile.

Which game did you watch?

Tommy was outstanding.

I would say that yesterday was a very nice day.

Wigan's control of that game was total.

[saintfrank]

i think Saints v Wigan was the last official charity game, played at gateshead which saints won

[saintfrank]

The first 20 minutes killed off saints hopes, because the last 60 saints won 10/6..Not that it mattered because overall Wigan were better and worthy winners

[timtum]

Thoroughly enjoyed myself before, during and after the game. Thank you to the big family of rugby league. My French friend was slack jawed by the atmosphere, the pace of the game, the size of the crowd, the centre of Manchester with fans mingling all over the shop.... You talk about people having goose bumps, but he was covered in 'em during Jerusalem and the build up to the match. He had a Saints jumper on for the game but is happily wandering around this neck of the woods in a Wigan top now.

Was that Paul Deacon's swansong? If so, I thought he had a cracker of a "coaches game", following a game plan throughout and directing the play beautifully. Well done to him. Young tompkins has a great deal of what oppositions hate and his long striding, stepping runs are a joy to watch. Coley and Fielden were immense in la charniere. Leuluai a splendid, nowty little half. Wigan play a simple game, and it is proper open rugby league. Well done to them.

Finished my weekend of RL with the second half of Limoux against Carpentras. Chalk and cheese in terms of level of play and crowd size but it lost nothing in terms of passion and enjoyment.

I love this game.

[bewareshadows]

I've had time to settle and although another year without silverwear, yes it's been a decent year for the Saints. 1 semi final, 1 grand final and 2nd in the league. In the great scheme of things, not to be sniffed at.

The call for a penalty try in the Grand final I would disagree with. I think most players in that situation have to grab the ball and cover it up to stop the ball being grounded. I think the intention is more to wrap up the ball rather than steal it.

If the attacking player body is over the ball the weight of the attacker will keep the ball in his grasp. However where a player is stretching for the line, the ball is nearly always a loose carry to the point were the ball may only be in the players hand due to downward momentum. At this point a defender cannot be expected not to wrap the ball up to prevent a try, just because the player only has 1 hand behind the ball.

The only alternative is to let the player score because as soon as that ball hits you it's going to leave the attacking players grasp.

Wigan round around Saints at every oppertunity in that 1st half. In a way it reminded me alot of the Huddersfield Warrington CC final last year.

Everyone had made a big deal of a battle in the forwards, but on such a wide pitch Warrington and Wigan just gave the ball some air and outflanked the opposition.

Saints looked very compact in the middle of the park, but I don't think it was ever an intention for wigan to drive it up the middle, however that's what we did for about 60 minutes, which meant we made very little progress.

Wigan play on a pitch of similar if not identical size week in and week out, were as Saints have been playing on a narrow pitch and using that to their advantage in being able to force teams out wide where there is usually no space.

Maybe with the move to a new ground the tactics of defence will also have to change to match this.

New beginning next year, hopefully we will move on from the sound base that potter has laid and with the new additions, make a strong side for the next 5 years.

The only questions left, Will Gardner go to Salford, is Meli leaving, Pryce to bradford for 2011 or 2012?

[Trojan]

The call for a penalty try in the Grand final I would disagree with. I think most players in that situation have to grab the ball and cover it up to stop the ball being grounded. I think the intention is more to wrap up the ball rather than steal it.

If Dave T says that's the rule then that's the rule. But for me, if it's a penalty and it prevented a certain score then logically it should be a penalty try. There's a thread on here about dissent and the failure of refs to march players back ten metres. I can't remember the last time I saw either a penalty try or that other rarity the penalty awarded after the score enabling two shots at goal. For me sanctions like this would be a big deterrent to foul play.

[Griff9of13]

If Dave T says that's the rule then that's the rule. But for me, if it's a penalty and it prevented a certain score then logically it should be a penalty try. There's a thread on here about dissent and the failure of refs to march players back ten metres. I can't remember the last time I saw either a penalty try or that other rarity the penalty awarded after the score enabling two shots at goal. For me sanctions like this would be a big deterrent to foul play.

The last I can recall was Ganson as VR in the World Cup final.

[shrek]

If Dave T says that's the rule then that's the rule. But for me, if it's a penalty and it prevented a certain score then logically it should be a penalty try.

I believe Dave is correct, the Sky team have pointed it out a few times this year. But agree with you totally, I am sure as the coaches work on there defensive plays for next year reefing in the tackle over the line will be worked upon were a certain try looks likely knowing you'll just concede a penalty and at least have a chance to prevent a score or at worst concede just the 2.

[Trojan]

The last I can recall was Ganson as VR in the World Cup final.

Yes I remember that. I thought the officials had an excellent game that day. Ashley spotting Lockyer dropping the ball and the ball stealing that with a lesser ref would have been called a NZ knock-on.

[Futtocks]

The only thing that slightly bothers me is that we're heading for another period of Wigan dominating the game.

I don't think so; St Helens will put out better teams than on Saturday, when more players are fully fit. Leeds too. Warrington appear to have finally got a much less flaky team.

There's a new boss at Bradford and also at Les Catalans, so who knows what they might do. And Huddersfield have gone from the perennial (unrelegated) cellar-dwellers of not so many years ago to a pretty useful outfit.

But enough of all that - 12 years is a long time between drinks, but the most famous Rugby club in the world are back up with the big boys again.