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43 tackles by Brad O'Neil and a wonderful performance from a young hooker.

Just had "the chat" with my wife who questioned if this watching matches three nights on the bounce would be a regular thing. I explained sometimes it may be 4 nights.

It's a bad decision. That's an overreaction to a bad decision.

Nathan Cleary still having selfies and signing stuff way after the hooter- what a class act

A Wigan win, but with just enough doubt for the Aussies and Warrington fans to whinge about it forever? Win-win - everybody's happy!

But, before anyone screams home referees, all I will say is Ryan Hall...

Let the whinging begin......

Just read back all comments on this thread.We are not naive or inept and as a solicitor i have not somehow been incompetent as i knew exactly what was involved with the SL release clause. Let me keep it very simple some ambitious young players particularly who have been at a SL Club through their agents want a SL release clause or are reluctant to sign. Some wont agree to inserting that we get an agreed transfer fee either so if we don’t agree they won’t sign. What do we do if we want them? Answer from now on is we don’t sign them its again that simple. Whether it’s fair on not is irrelevant as it is what it is. Maybe this year was a one off year with London’s circumstances but the decision is made it will not happen again. I don’t believe we made a mistake by agreeing to the clause but if someone thinks we did then so be it. The whole recruitment process for us is very difficult when other Clubs often offer more salary but with the players that we get i am very proud as i think they have been superb for us. Also good luck to any player who achieves his ambition and gets a FT contract so we also take pride on helping them do that. It is not easy but the challenge is something to relish and the chance of 4 wins on the bounce this week is also something to relish!

Let's be honest here, that Brown red card was probably an error by the officials and a possible costly one. But there's an awful lot of knee jerking going on with people saying they won't watch the sport anymore, the game's gone kind stuff. It's not like these decisions are the norm is it? Last night was a poor decision granted, but it's hopefully just a one off. People are carrying on like this is happening in every game when it's not the case. I think a lot of people just can't get over the fact that players now can't bash each other round the head for entertainment purposes. The game has to be cleaned up, just sometimes you're going to get crazy decisions or mistakes from the officials, it's always happened and it always will.

Brilliant stuff by Faamanu Brown, it's a great post by him, very level headed and respectable.

Saturday night in London. My one year old grandson’s birthday. Watched the game with family (some of whom watched the RU international). Everyone loved the game. Skill, physicality, tension.

I'll tell you what. That was a classy interview from Ivan Cleary there.

It's perfect, because if the Aussies winge about it they are effectively admitting that they do care and do take it seriously.

Best thing she’s done since Saturday Night

The people making excuses for that, or telling people they're overreacting, or patronising them when they say they have fallen out of love with the sport because it things like this, quite frankly need to go away. I'm sorry, these apologists are part of the problem. I've defended some seemingly bizarre choices the game has made over the years in order to keep some bewildered fans from walking away, but I can't and I won't defend that. If this is the way the sport is looking to deal with the head issue, it's lost me as a fan. I don't spend my time and money to be left frustrated and angered at the sport for the majority of the spectacle (I can deal with it from a team perspective, but not the sport). I want to see a good, fair and tough competition. I don't like dirty play, but I like risk and reward. These new rules are eliminating the toughness, the fairness and the competitiveness. What we are getting is a lottery. I never expected much of us as a team this year, yet I've been looking forward to watching the sport as a whole more than I have for a while with the improvement in coverage. I've gone from looking forward to watching every game to considering walking away altogether in the space of 2 weeks, that's how bad this is. I'm going to watch the WCC tonight as it's different rules. Hopefully there'll be a common sense moment and they go "oh, that's what it should be like, let's change it back." I may give it a couple more weeks after that, but if it's more of the same then I'm done until it changes. Keeping insurance premiums down is pointless if you're reducing your income. Fix it.

I don’t think the Wardle Try was a Try, equally I don’t think the Penrith Try at the end was a Try. In both cases the Ref is bound by the guidance he’s given. He sees the ball on the line he sends it up as a Try, he sees the ball held up he sends it up as a No Try, then the VR has to conclusively see evidence that overturns the Refs decision. THATS THE GUIDLINES! It’s the Refs call rule that’s wrong, if he hasn’t seen it he shouldn’t be guessing, just let the VR do his job unhindered. Im not seeing the forward pass for the 2nd Try, I’ve no issue whatsoever with that Try standing French’s Try from the scrum was marginally offside but really close so No Try The ball strip is one of those that happens so quickly that the Ref really can’t be blamed, he’s got to make the call as he thinks and doesn’t have the benefit of slo mo replays. PTB penalties could have gone either way they’re 50/50 I thought Penrith got away with slowing Wigans ruck down for the full 80 minutes. There were a couple of high shots from Penrith that should have been penalised but the Ref let them go. In the end, Wigan looked the more inventive with the ball while Penrith dominated field position but couldn’t create enough to take advantage of it. With Wigan showing such resolute defence coupled with their better attacking play, I think they just about shaded deserving the win.

Some people need to stop with the negativity and celebrate a superleague side beating the best team on the world. Of course there was 50/50 calls but that's the way it goes in Rugby. Well done to Wigan for a tremendous performance and well done to Superleague

And his son mingling with the Wigan fans

Look, I think that there were some hard decisions which went against Penrith consistently tonight: the Wardle try, the last minute try, the forward pass try, the ball steal, a couple of ‘knock ons’ at the ptb etc. But that’s why home advantage matters: crowds don’t shout for their own team’s forward passes. If Penrith are honest though, they’ll need to look to themselves. They dominated territory, and looked stronger throughout, but they couldn’t do anything with it. Butchered two certain tries with an easy drop and then trying to outrun Field instead of passing to support. And the kicking game to get repeat sets was non-existent. They could and should have won even with the unfavourable decisions. The fact they didn’t is on them, really

Too much information!

I am temporarily without Sky TV so I fall into Atlantisman's category of half asleep after the pub. I take great offence. It is true though.

I am fully behind the clampdown but no one will convince me that the red card last night wasn't nonsense. It lacked all common sense and frankly is the sort of decision/ruling that is made by people with little knowledge or understanding of the game. Purely accidental collisions, where the tackler has not been wreckless, should not be a sending off offence. It shouldn't even be a yellow card. And this is an issue. If people that are generally supportive of these moves feel like this then it is going to badly affect the overall message and intent. It will only lead to more players speaking out and more fans talking of alienation which will only damage the overall aim of these wider changes. The RFL certainly need to clarify this sending off and either say it was wrong or make changes to their interpretation.

I think the point here is that the RFL need to come out and overtly state that this decision was wrong and that is not the right application of the laws. If they do that then as a fan you have to accept that human error can always happen. If they don’t and they double down on this being the right decision then we have issues as a sport.

As someone who has complimented ref's on how they had handled games this season, in my opinion that was easily the worst officiated game we have seen so far and its not really close. There were just a whole host of incidents and decisions that made little sense, not just the sending off, but then we had little consistancy when we had at least two further incidents, another late shot and another high shot, that you feel should have resulted in yellow cards but seemingly were not even given a second glance. That is without mentioning an incorrect play the ball call where the player literally could not have gone through the motion of playing the ball any better other than the ball going end over end which is totally fine if you want to do that. Just a really bad night at the office for the officials and it will be interesting to see the fallout from this.

I missed the game last night. I had to watch the video on Twitter half a dozen times to find what the incident actually was that warranted a penalty, never mind a card. This is where the whole thing becomes a mess. I am one who recognises the need for change and support a clampdown on deliberate or even reckless/careless contact with the head. But this is purely accidental and wasn't in the initial tackle action. You cannot legislate to eliminate all accidental contact. This type of incident negatively effects the RFL's efforts as it gives a louder voice to those who say the initiative is bad for the game. They need to find a very sensible middle ground here.

This sums it up for me. I feel exactly the same. I was genuinely excited about the increased coverage. I planned to record and watch every game each week. Now, I reckon I’ll watch the saints game and not bother with the rest. I had thought that in the KR v Leeds game there were signs the officials were starting to apply sensible judgments, even if I still thought at least one yellow card was harsh. But last night was mad. That decision wrecked the game for the players, fans and viewers. Worse- these aren’t even the most significant changes. The below-the-armpit change they’re planning for next year is far more significant and drastic than these. Yet these minor changes are already having a huge impact on the game’s entertainment value. We *cannot* carry on like this.

Worth pointing out the decision last night was a mistake by the ref. There's always been bad decisions by refs and always will be regardless of rules in place.

5102 is the announced attendance at Plough Lane for Broncos v Cats. They’ve done a good job of concentrating the crowd in the 3 stands within the tv camera arc.

I'm a neutral who enjoyed an absorbing game of rugby. I'd hate to be the sort of person that can't enjoy a game and celebrate a great performance.

If Penrith wanted to win, then maybe they should have scored more of the 60+ points that were so confidently predicted by the NRL fanbois and the Wigan-haters. That way, the Wardle decision wouldn't have mattered. It's a simple game at heart, after all.

Nice interview by Daddy Cleary, no mention of decisions, put it down to Wigan executing better.

Aye. It's just sport at end of day and whilst we love it, it's just part of life. Nathan signing autographs as well. Good eggs.

Wigan got the rub of the green no doubt about that. The two tries that went up to the VR were basically identical IMO. Both could've been given and both could've been chalked off. However, a couple of hard to take decisions doesn't even get close to corruption. The last two penalties given to Penrith (interference and resetting the tackle count) weren't clear cut decisions and if they were given in reverse would be examples of favouritism.

They took it off him after the two extra sets he gifted Penrith following the original announcement.

It's not hard done by if they didn't create anything with all that possession and position, it's poor rugby really

Well done Wigan, first game I've watched this year so far that I've genuinely enjoyed start to finish. Did Wigan get the rub of the green? Sure, but doesn't bother me one bit as the ledger is still massively stacked in the Aussies favour on that and I'm more than happy letting them moan about decisions for a change.

You really really really really don't like Wigan, don't you.

Someone call round and check on Phil Gould will ya!

Definitive proof that it was in fact a try.

A balanced diet is important.

Onward to the next round for Acorn. Beat Wath Brow Hornets 32-28 earlier today. Well done Acorn!

I note that the FA have a process in place that can see red cards overturned, for wrongful dismissal (and it isn't just for mistaken identity). Are we so arrogant that we don't have a process in place to acknowledge when we get something wrong? We shouldn't be afraid of admitting errors, it will help with trust rather than be seen as throwing him under the bus.

And, catastrophising from one bad decision is a somewhat typical rugby league reaction. On a par with how one dull game means that everything is wrong with everything and no one will love us any more.

Higher reach than Sky Sports Main Event.

I came back from a good night out and started watching the game on recording. Was enjoying it until the Brown sending off. That was ###### ridiculous. I don’t know what sport this is, but it’s not the rugby league I’ve played, reffed, coached and loved for 40 years. If this is what you like, good for you, but it’s not for me. I switched off after that ridiculous decision. Still don’t know the outcome if the game and tbh don’t much care. This is, and I say this as a rugby league fanatic stalwart for decades, . Absolute . I do not want to see red cards in every game. I do not want to see accidental head clashes in normal tackles result in game-changing dismissals. It’s , and it’s killing my lifelong love for the game.

I support the new protocols, I believe player safety and their future mental and neurological safety are paramount, but… that was an accident, it wasn’t an attack to the head, it wasn’t even careless, Brown was spun round by the impetus of his own player, there was absolutely nothing he could do about it.

Well that's big of him. Twit. Hope the Pies sort his lot out big time on Saturday.

Well the last time I saw a SL side play an NRL side we saw a team that many in Australia have proclaimed as one of the best ever get turned over in their back yard, and they were lucky that it ended up being close. If Penrith win tomorrow then maybe they can have the luxury of saying who they think could and couldn't compete with them. Until then they should keep their thoughts to themselves. I hope Wigan tear them apart.