WAKEFIELD TRINITY head coach Daryl Powell has called for the Captain’s Challenge to be scrapped following a number of controversial decisions during his side’s 26-24 win over Hull KR on Saturday.

The length of stoppages has become a major talking point recently and Powell believes the ability for teams to contest decisions, introduced in Super League last season, has had a detrimental impact.

“We’ve got to change it, quick, for the beauty of the sport, because it’s a beautiful sport and what we’re doing at the moment is taking a little bit away from that,” he said.

“I don’t want to be damaging the sport by talking about it in a negative way but I think somebody has to make a decision that we change it.”

When he was then asked whether or not decisions made from challenges should be sped up, Powell responded: “No, get rid of it. It’s a waste of time.”

Powell went further, addressing the lengthy stoppage to analyse Peta Hiku’s would-be match-winning try late on.

“I can’t tell you how many times he looked at that Hiku one,” Powell continued.

“I’ve never seen anybody look at an incident so much in my life and it was obvious from the second view.

“You’ve got fans slow handclapping now and that’s not what we want. The beauty of this game is the flow and the energy and the intensity of it.

“Hull KR went for a Captain’s Challenge on an obvious high tackle at the end to give themselves a breather to defend that final four minutes. Well, it’s an obvious high tackle.

“If you add up the time taken from Captain’s Challenges today what would it be? Maybe 15 minutes?

“It’s not good for the sport, everybody is saying it. Get rid of it. If it doesn’t happen now it has to happen for next season.”