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Whatever the rights and wrongs are on what punishment should be given by a club, on top of punishment given by a court, I think everyone can agree that the club's official comment was poor.

I'm gonna lock this one now. We got through the game without any problems, so thanks everyone for that, but I think the longer these threads are left open afterwards, the more likely they are to descend into the kind of arguments and recriminations that turn people off them, and which then get carried over into subsequent match threads. Feel free to open new topics to pick up on general issues that arise from certain matches.

1. FC were absolutely dire. Smith just doesn't seem to be improving them. Long long season for them. 2. KR were OK, not great but got the job done. 3. Sympathy for Sao but understand why it's a red in today's game. I hope the disciplinary come down hard on Parcell though. Complete dog act and if we're going to give reds for contact to head, then we need to make sure that there is sufficient deterrent on players trying to get reactions from opponents which maybe result in them lashing out and resulting in "contact to head" Parcell deserves longer ban IMHO as there's zero mitigating circumstances for his actions.

Games gone, can’t even knee someone in the head, twice, these days!

Drink driving is a serious offence, and it annoys me how some people on SM seem to be dismissing it as something that shouldn't be treated seriously. Just like the clubs statement on it. This is the second time he has been caught drink driving, it would be a fool to think he hasn't done it many other times and just hasn't been caught. He is extremely lucky he hasn't killed someone yet.

Nah it was a massive swinging arm to a players head whilst he was on the floor, red all day long, Pele also threw a punch in the dust up afterwards.

You can wriggle out of a tackle as much as you like but if you start kneeing other players in the head under the current guidance you’ll get punished. You may not intend to but it then becomes a reckless action

It’s no different now to thirty years ago, you retaliate, you walk. Simple as that, be it right or wrong!

Lebanon is one of many elephants in the crowded elephant room that is the international RL front office. Very competitive team for a nation that simply doesn't compete at a high level in any sport. I'm convinced Lebanon is fertile ground but it's completely ignored outside world cups. I can only imagine your average lebaneseer being at the very least least interested in Lebanon playing countries such as France and England and likely winning in the France case. Take games to Lebanon. Invest just a small amount and it'll likely become a RL stronghold very quickly. But we wont.

Yes.

Antics? That's sugar coating it, drink driving at ridiculous speeds and rolling a car isn't antics.

Very cool having the highlights on the BBC Sport app/page the morning after the game, that should be the standard.

Interesting to see the BBC have the tries/binnings/send offs on their website (and linked on the front Sport page) already, with Sky commentary. I think this is new? https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/av/rugby-league/68315749

Hhis face and eyes were being grabbed.....how on earth would he have known where Purcell's face was during that? I'll say it again..... If you are being assaulted / potentially eye gouged are you supposed to now wait patiently until the assaulter has finished? Just in case you end hurting the assaulter? Madness

I caught the Sky Sports News update on the game this morning and interestingly (although I agree with you re. the skill levels and quality on show), they didnt care one jot. They were talking up the drama re. the cards, the missed goals and generally had a positive spin on it. "Super League is back with a bang".

I couldn't watch the game last night. Just saw the Pele send-off. It was a swinging arm that was mainly aimed at the shoulder area, with some incidental contact to Minichiello's head. A rush of blood from Pele, but for me something like that isn't a send-off. 10 in the bin perhaps for a bit of over-zealousness that affects the head of an opponent. In my view, it wasn't a head-shot meriting a sit-down for the rest of the game. I'll read the thread to see what others think, but that's how I saw it from the atrocious, low-res video on the Sky website.

I came here for sympathy not statistics

Given quite how much RL has been played in Lebanon - in the most testing of circumstances - for about the past 25 years, it is odd that they are simply never seriously in any conversation.

This forum gone soft

20,014 at this evening’s Hull derby.

The directive is about player safety. I’ve no issues with it being introduced although maybe you do. All players & coaches were told exactly what would happen this season so it’s down to them & them only. Both reds tonight were fully justified. Parcel’s yellow wasn’t as clear cut but once reviewed may end up with a ban just like the Hull yellow in the first half. Again no issues with that from me.

a very impressive 14,000 at Saints. Which surely must be our best ever crowd against London.

Decent game

Bentley has made a couple of errors that have caused problems defensively now.

There’s been a massive step-up. Finally in the 21st century!

Well it did sound like there were 20,000 referees at the Hull game last night tbf

Wigan Town Centre is about a 20 minute walk.Plenty of decent pubs there. Near the rail stations ( unlike Leigh , Wigan has two ) Wigan Central or the Swan and Railway both good with plenty of cask, Berkeley or Raven just up the street or the Moon under Water ( a Wetherspoon ) Tap and Barrel serves its own ales. Near the ground you have the Red Robin. Wigan Warriors own Robin Park Arena has a great bar and will be packed with supporters. If you have not been to DW before, do NOT come off the M61 at junction 5 , come off at junction 6 instead ( you'll see the Reebok on your right). It's signposted Chorley but as soon as you exit pick up the Wigan sign and drop down into town. Enjoy.

I agree with all of that. The point of my original post on this (which you responded to) was that Swinton is administered by Salford City Council and as a Swinton institution the club and its fans could rightly feel hard done to. They've had a tough few decades without the kind of financing (in kind)/assistance from the Council that the Red Devils have received/are receiving. If I were a non-Salford supporting local tax payer, I wouldn't be happy with the Council spending money in this way. If I were a Swinton supporting local tax payer, I think I would be furious.

They left Station Road in 1992. But played at Moor Lane and The Willows more recently (most recently 2011). You could say they haven't played in Salford for a long time - but 'belong', I'd say they certainly do. Most of their fans still seem to be from in and around Swinton and they have chosen to keep the name. The club's administration is still based in Swinton and the Mayor of Salford even mentioned them in his recent statement about rugby in the city. It has never been a choice to leave the area, it was necessity - If the Council had provided them with the support they have the Salford club, then I'd expect Swinton to still be playing somewhere in that area.

You have no problem with him retaliating but you also think he should be punished? Makes no sense ....you either think he should or shouldn't be able to defend a potential eye gouge And yes.....having gone though an eye grab it does give me a better perspective than anyone who hasn't. People can still comment but they are less well informed to do so I've also had someone bend 3 of fingers back deliberately in a ruck.l, broke two of them.....believe me if I'd had a cricket bat I would have hit him with it never mind kick my legs out to stop it If someone goes in like a grub with a head shot or eye gouge then the immediate response of the victim should be considered self defence

I didn't like him calling the players "mate" as he sent them off.

For what its worth - I've just re-watched the highlights on the BBC and there is no clear attempt at gouging. Yes there is a hand then forearm in Sao's face and it is very grubby from Parcell who should absolutely be binned (at least) and see a ban coming. The knee: That knee is instant red today. As a RL player you have responsibility for where your body ends up in attack or in defence. Whether you intend to do anything or not is beside the point. Whether you are defending yourself or not is beside the point. If you are putting another player in danger and you make contact with the head, then it is absolutely 100% a card. You cannot do it no matter what the circumstances are. He let his own emotions get the better of him and chose to use the knees.

I'm not defending anyone. I know retaliation gets punished I'm just saying if someone is gouging me I am retaliating. Of course, plenty here would not and will lay on the floor helpless whilst their precious vision is put at risk.

He seems to have found a club where his 'antics' at the moment seem to be going ignored as he's a key squad member, it would be nice for Derek or the Leigh club to put out some kind of statement at least condemning what he did as well as saying they'll support him. It doesn't sit right with me that Leigh have basically just ignored what he did and told us all to mind our own business when every othr club he's caused issues at and dragged the sport through the media mud have at the very least said his behaviour hasn't been accceptable. Maybe at Leigh his talent and value to the team outweight the socially morality!

I don't think there's anything wrong with praising referees, if only because it can help highlight what a difficult job they have, and it gets harder every year. The amount of things they have to watch now on every play...is the defender's hand on the ball after he's called held, is the defender slowing the PTB down, has the ball-carrier moved off the mark, does he make a genuine attempt to play the ball, have the markers edged left or right, all this whilst keeping an eye (with the help of the touch judges) on offside, whether there's a man down needing a HIA etc...then constantly checking where the play is in case there's a 40-20 or even 20-40...and now if there is interference at the PTB, instantly making the right decision to call a penalty (if inside the 40) and thus blowing his whistle, or waving 6 again if outside the 40. Unlike a lot of RL fans who seem constantly amazed at how bad the officials are, I'm constantly amazed at how good they are. I think it's an incredibly hard job at the speed the modern game is played and any appreciation of that fact is a good thing as far as I'm concerned. I realise this probably isn't a popular opinion!

Forgive me if I'm wrong but it seems very much to me that you're saying, nay advocating that if a player is getting roughed up by an opponent then he has every right to knee that opponent in the head, not once, but twice and with no recrimination? Yes, he was getting a facial from Parcell, the officials had seen that and were about to deal with it, Sao then loses his rag and knees Parcell in the head twice. I can't understand your logic in saying that Sao has a right to kick out, knee someone because ......... 2 wrongs etc.

I see the Blues Brothers (pinched this from the Salford Forum where they reside) Messrs dboy & Bedfordshire Broncos on here - who continually deride any efforts from this Community owned club (should be the desire of any SL club without the Bankrolling of such as Davy, Hughes, Beaumont etc). Give it a rest you two.

In that case, would it not have been better for Sao to release the ball and risk losing possession rather than kneeing someone in the head, getting sent off and getting banned and letting his team down? I rather think it would, you're basically condoning someone kneeing another person in the head, had that happened on the street, you'd be calling it assault and a disgrace etc, but on a rugby field, it's fine because someone was holding him down?

Sau took the law into his own hands by deliberately using his knees. That's just not acceptable. I disagree entirely with the notion he was trying to play the ball. He was retaliating and in an unacceptable way. Just because you've had wrong done to you, doesn't give you licence to do that.

Or players kneeing others in the head knowing full well the scrutiny around head Injuries

Only when looking to see whether the Lebanon RL team got any publicity by playing in the world cup. In answer to your other question though, Lebanese people I know here all have family in Australia, Canada and elsewhere too, and might go "home" once a decade or so. They still consider themselves and others like themselves as Lebanese and I don't think would care about the fact that all or nearly all of the team was born elsewhere.

I admire HKR but for different reasons, thoroughly enjoyed trip there last year. Outstanding. Salford done well to still be here- surely we all want that? Certainly contributed well on the pitch. Stadium will be a community asset - no sporting clubs outside football can afford to build a £40m stadium. Saved from football for the benefit of Salford - who can moan at that. Salford city have a stadium that will be used all year round. As for neglect off the pitch - their foundation is outstanding. They run reserves, ladies team, wheel chair team and a college team. Oh not forgetting the ‘Welsh thing’. Pretty good, but then it will never be enough for some….

Let's assume all 700 SRD season ticket holders are also happy with it. That just leaves the other 257, 300 to check with. Pal.

Cornwall RLFC & Truro FC get planning approved for the new stadium. 3k capacity initially, with a further 1k approved. Clubhouse and other facilities will require further approvals - reason being to expedite the process to get the ground playable for Truro FC next football season in August. Work is already well underway for it and this was a rubber stamp of the Council agreeing it. Great news for Cornwall RLFC to play in a brand new facility. The ground is being built so it could go up to 10k if required in the future, would require further planning apps to do so. https://www.cornwalllive.com/news/cornwall-news/cornwall-planning-replacement-failed-stadium-9101957 This is the location: https://maps.app.goo.gl/M184WSqdDgBAbSFWA On the edge of Truro, with easy access to the major A-road.

The NFL v RL which is tougher is a stupid argument. RL is tough, that goes without saying and we all know that. So is NFL though, talk of padding is a misnomer. The hits are tough and would hurt like hell, the padding doesn't change that and simply adds to that. Both sports are tough, just in different ways.

Have the Panthers told us if they are taking this game seriously, or are they waiting until after the game to tell us as expected....

Why play it in a desolate war zone that no one really wants to visit and isn't really fit for human habitation when you could play it in Beirut?

I hope Sky stick with the one commentator, one summariser, young pundits and no 1990s Wigan legends for the main pick

I think the potential eye gouging was so serious it meant he had no time to think and just had to protect himself from a potentially life changing injury I've had someone try to do it me in a game in my 20s(bottom of a union ruck) and believe me I would have done anything to stop it....eye sight protection ranks up there alongside head injuries Obviously some one here disagree or have never had someone try to do it to them