EagleEyePie

I've read plenty of thoughts from Wigan fans (and some non-Wigan fans) that it's a harsh ban for Singleton but to be honest I have no complaints. Once I saw the replay I was fairly certain it was going to be a red card and a 2 or 3 match ban. Gone are the days when you can throw yourself into a tackle without care and then claim an accident when a player alters their position. Players have to take into consideration the likelihood that a player might slip and adjust their technique accordingly. If you're aiming around the chest area and trying to get maximum force with the shoulder without wrapping the arm then you should know by now that any movement from the player could result in direct contact to the head and that's going to get a ban.

The only way to stop players feigning injury and staying down long enough that the video ref is forced to see a replay is to go back to the way it used to be and stop the video ref from having any input. That's the only thing that will stop it. The protocols don't really give the ref much leeway. If a player stays down he has to stop play and then if he gets the instruction from the video ref he can't really ignore it. He also can't second guess what is or isn't a feigned injury. I've seen countless seemingly minor knocks to the head result in players failing concussion assessments and also some players return from nasty collisions. From the perspective of a fan it's frustrating. You want the sport to always be tough and you don't want to see the game end up like football where play acting is part of the game. On the other hand if I was a player the only thing that matters is winning the game and doing what's best for the team. If you're 2 points down and someone commits what you know is foul play you're potentially ruining your teams chances by getting up and brushing it off. The team comes first. It doesn't really matter what the rule is, if it exists then players will always look for ways to exploit it. Stripping the ball when you're confident officials are unsighted, trapping defenders to win penalties, it's all an extension of the same thing - that players will do whatever they can get away with in order to win and to get the decisions. Refs need to stick with their decisions and not be influenced by players staying down. In terms of video refs, the game has to weigh up what's more important - them having an input to rectify instances of foul play that may have been missed, or reducing instances of players staying down in the hope of winning penalties.

I thought that was a fantastic game. The send off was massively frustrating (the correct decision though) but at least it made the defeat easier to take. I really didn't expect us to get anything out of it after going down to 12 men but that Bevan French try got the hopes up. Unfortunately we don't quite have the defensive strength to keep out a Saints team with a man advantage. Great effort though. In the first half we really struggled to make ground and it once again showed the Saints front row is stronger than Wigan's. It's a work in progress to keep improving in that area but Singleton today showed why Cooper is a sensible signing. Our senior prop isn't a pack leader, he's a liability and not much better than our young forwards. I was also a bit puzzled that Pearce-Paul didn't play. Had a strong game against Trinity yet he goes with Isa (who admittedly has played well at centre in the last couple of years) and Bibby, who I just don't get what is seen in him. Still, to be competing with Saints in these games is exactly where we need to be. There's still improvement needed but hopefully we can be at our best with our strongest squad at the end of the year.

For all the talk of Saints missing players that's still a very strong team they've named. The outside backs are strong with Bennison the only youngster and to be honest he looks like a very handy player already. Welsby and Lomax as good as any halfback combination and even with Walmsley missing out a front row of Paasi, Roby and Lees is one of the strongest in the competition and stronger than Wigan's front row. Sironen, Batchelor and Knowles is a pretty good back row too. Wigan probably have the edge on the bench and hopefully if it's a tight game that's what could edge it for us. Wigan have had a very good run since the cup final but we've played beatable teams so I'm not sure you can read too much into it. The key will probably be whether Saints can dominate in the forwards (which they are more than capable of) and whether they can defend at their best and limit our scoring chances. Do that and our defence will probably leak enough points for Saints to get a win. The tide hasn't turned just yet. Saints will probably win if they are at their best but I think Wigan have done well this year to close the gap and I expect another close game.

I agree. There's nothing necessarily wrong with having it on the mural. The mural itself doesn't say anything about it showing the greatest moments or that every moment is being celebrated. Every image on it is referenced around the edges and the Flower incident is in the section of 'Injuries, Tackles, Foul Play & Confrontation'. It's not 'celebrating' it just like it's not celebrating the fact Sam Tomkins got injured by depicting him on crutches. There are other depictions of players with serious injuries presented in a comedic way on there and some scraps too. I mean it also shows Phil Bentham lying on the floor with a broken leg. Whether presenting those incidents in such is a comical and flippant way is appropriate I'm not so sure. They couldn't really change the style just for certain images but they could have just gone for a slightly different depiction. Maybe the argument will be that they are going for the iconic images and the moment of Flower's punch is unfortunately the iconic image. Everyone will have their opinions. I'm not sure it's worth getting particularly upset over that depiction, I'm more disappointed that it includes Anthony Gelling.

It was a pretty uninspiring performance but at least England got the victory. Aside from Bateman and Welsby no one really excelled for England. It was competent, rather than good. The only player to play badly was McShane, but fortunately Leeming was impressive for CNAS so it's not really an issue. All it really showed is England's strength in depth is poor and the best we could come up with was a 2 score victory over what is possibly the 3rd strongest squad the CNAS could have fielded. If it was actually the best available overseas players involved I think England would have been beaten again. The NRL based players will ensure we're competitive in the World Cup but it really doesn't look like a generation of players that could really win a tournament.

I've been informed by my Saints supporting friends that Field is just a sprinter, so he doesn't really count as an exciting player. The problem is it's always going to be a victim of the poor state of international RL. You can't expect players to get onboard if there's nothing to get onboard with. Not only does the CNAS need some sort of identity and character, it also needs to come up with a convincing reason for players to be involved. I'm not sure Aussies and Kiwis are particularly bothered about helping England get a competitive game. I don't think we should just get rid of it though. Pretty much every concept gets ditched or changed and judged a failure but it just means there's little continuity or history built in the international game.

The concept in theory isn't too bad, but it suffers in the way that all games involving international teams do in the northern hemisphere. International RL isn't treated as seriously as it should be and every initiative suffers as a result. It would help if we had international games on a more regular basis throughout the year. When we just have one mid season fixture it just feels like a one-off. Selection doesn't hinge on who performs well because one good performance mid season isn't enough to really push for inclusion at the end of the year. When you then play your one international against a team cobbled together from overseas players and those not selected by England it makes it feel even more like an afterthought than anything to be taken seriously. The Combined Nations isn't a bad concept in the same way that the Barbarians in RU isn't a bad concept. The difference is there's history behind it, there's a concept to it. There's a style of rugby associated with the Barbarians. There's some prestige to being selected. We can't really add history and prestige to the CNAS concept if it's ditched after a few years. I think it should continue and the emphasis should be on selecting flair players and showcasing attacking rugby. Add some stipulations that can then become traditions, such as including one player from the Championship or below in the team (a bit like the Barbarians tradition of including one uncapped player). I genuinely think there's a place for the concept but the problem is it's place should not be the only mid season international fixture. The CNAS game is a bit of farce because international RL is a bit of a farce. It's only by playing more meaningful internationals against various teams that the sport will grow at this level and if that happens then the CNAS might become a more valuable concept such as an annual charity game with a bit more interest. But in the absence of that I don't blame players for pulling out or not being interested.

Smithies is still suspended

That's a pretty weak looking England side. Even some of the bigger names in the team are in nowhere near the good form they were in last season and quite a few are long past their best at international level. Then of course there are those who are in no form at all. I mean it might not matter too much in terms of the result because the All Stars team will be lucky if it includes more than one player who could realistically be described as a 'star'.

I thought it was an entertaining final that Huddersfield were very unlucky to lose. There's no doubt they looked the stronger side for most of that game and it must be frustrating that Lolohoea didn't have his kicking boots on. That said, I don't think it's as simple as 'kick the goals and they win' as Wigan have shown countless times already this year that we're very good at doing just enough to win over the 80 minutes. Had those goal kicks gone over I think Wigan would still have found a way to be within striking distance by the end of the game. Morgan Smithies is a very lucky boy. Under the early season directives the first challenge was a sin bin and the second a red card. Personally I thought the 2nd one probably still should have been a red, but it's a case of be careful what you wish for for coaches and players in the game. They were up in arms about the number of cards being given and how it was spoiling games, even after incidents that were hard to argue with. The result is challenges like Bentley's last week and Smithies this week not getting the punishments they deserve during the games. However, aside from those moments I thought he had an outstanding game. His work rate was fantastic and the offload for Smith's try was superb. I think he's flown under the radar a bit this year. A lot of people seem to view him as a player who had promise but never kicked on. However, last season he played well but was just a little inconsistent (as nearly all young players tend to be). This season his performances have been strong and consistent. I disagree with this comment in the sense that players don't really have 'breakout performances' except for at the very start of their career when they first get noticed. Smith has been a promising player for a while and what makes promising young players become good players is consistency, rather than one game in particular. Smith was probably Wigan's best player today but he was also our best player in the semi against Saints. In fact for all the obvious talk of Jai Field pre-match Wigan's best player since Leuluai's injury has been Harry Smith and I think he's won most of the clubs man of the match awards in that time. That's the most promising thing for Wigan fans. He was always capable of putting in an outstanding performance against weaker sides. He could put in some 7 out of 10 performances in big games. Right now though he's performing well enough to be a key player for us game after game. There's still a lot of flaws to work on but he really seems to be establishing himself in the side.

Some big bodies coming in which should beef up their pack. On his day Kasiano can make a big difference when coming off the bench. Not one of Super League's most consistent players but you take that risk with a player like that. Some consistent hard working forwards alongside him will balance that out. I'm not quite as impressed with Dudson. This season I think his performances are fairly average. A big body to have down the middle but not the best defender or the most impactful going forward. However, if the pack is struggling for size then a bigger average player is going to be more beneficial than a smaller average player.

Who do you consider to be our best centre? This comment suggests you disagree but is also giving two good reasons why what they are saying is probably true. I've been trying to think of who our centres should be for the World Cup but there aren't many outstanding candidates.

Some really good tries from Hull. When on form they have threats all over the pitch and Connor is exceptional on his day. Also some woeful defending from Wigan for a couple of tries (Bibby clocking off for the Tuimavave try is a shocker). The table doesn't lie and there's not much separating Wigan, Huddersfield and Hull so far this year. Hull perhaps just a little more inconsistent. Wigan, despite being the best attacking side this year have a very porous defence which is preventing us from making it a clear cut top 3 and keeps us in the chasing trio.

It is still a bit of a farce though. If you introduce any promo code there is a chance of it being leaked. Common sense says that you provide T's & C's if it's applied or further verification to ensure it's only being used by the people it was intended for. When you've got browser extensions like Honey that search for promo codes it's a bit naïve to think it wouldn't get out. It found its way pretty quickly onto sites advertising promo code deals (I'm assuming it wasn't on there initially). Even though the RFL have said no one who isn't eligible will receive tickets aren't the tickets print at home? So people have already got the tickets. Plus some no doubt bought them in good faith using a promo code that anyone could use. So some may have now made arrangements to go to the final having previously been unable to afford it only for the tickets to potentially be cancelled. Definitely a farce.

I just tried the same thing, two £55 tickets but it came to £60 at checkout. I've seen screenshots of some people using the code and getting two £55 tickets for £0 and someone getting a single £70 ticket for free. I don't usually buy tickets online but I'm totally confused as to why it seems to provide different discounts, unless it's based on which blocks the seats are in maybe?

I only referenced Liverpool fans because it just happened to be them in this instance. I remembered that Gilmour was subject to homophobic chants early in the season so googled it and discovered it was Liverpool fans on this occasion. It can happen anywhere at any club and is reflective of society rather than specific teams. I'm not surprised by Klopp calling it out - he's probably my favourite person in football even though I'm not a Liverpool fan. Gary Neville's comments on the environment at Man Utd aren't a surprise. I remember Rio Ferdinand asking on Twitter why there weren't any openly gay footballers in the Premier League - well during his playing days he used a homophobic slur on a radio show. That was a few weeks after Paul Scholes was criticised for using a homophobic slur towards an opponent. That might go some way to answering his question. Yes, those incidents were a long time ago, but those are two players who are now high profile pundits. How can anyone really be sure that attitudes have changed, if indeed they have? There's definitely reasons to be positive though and attitudes definitely seem to be improving, even if it's taking longer than it should.

Fullback might not be priority number one for Wire but I'm not surprised they're looking at a new signing. These days the strongest teams tend to have the best fullbacks so if you want to compete you have to have real quality in that position. I like what I've seen of Thewlis but I don't think he's at the level where he'll be among the best in Super League. You also need players who can cover different positions. Perhaps Thewlis will be considered mainly as a winger next year with Charnley potentially leaving. New signings will depend on who departs. Both Widdop and Ratchford are off contract at the end of the year so if both left then presumably Wire would be needing a new fullback and a new halfback along with the necessary signings to bolster the pack. Dufty is one of those players who might be able to have more success in Super League. Players who can't make it in the NRL can end up being very useful Super League players. Josh Drinkwater being one just one example. I definitely wouldn't write it off as being a waste of money before he's taken to the field for them. Also, if circumstances are right (i.e. Smith establishes himself as SL quality and Leuluai retires) I'd take Ratchford at Wigan in a heartbeat. Cover at half and fullback (which we'd need if French leaves) and some experience alongside 3 playmakers in their early to mid-20's would be useful.

It's a brave thing to do but hopefully a positive step towards changing attitudes towards homosexuality in sport. It no doubt adds a lot of extra pressure and scrutiny, which can be particularly challenging for someone so young. Inevitably there are plenty of comments on social media asking 'why is this news?'. The fact is it can't not be news. The only way things like this will stop being newsworthy is if it happens more and more frequently and people react with understanding and compassion and acceptance to the point where it's no longer a big deal. Right now, he's the only openly gay male footballer, so it is a big deal. You also can't ignore the culture within football. You only have to think back to the start of the season (you probably don't even have to go that far back, sadly) where Liverpool fans sang homophobic chants towards Billy Gilmour. You still hear homophobic chants in games at or against Brighton. It shouldn't be underestimated how difficult coming out can still be for anyone, but particularly for someone in football. Sadly though the only choices right now are to come out openly and publicly and face the attention, or forever have to hide that aspect of your life and never be seen out in public with a partner because newspapers would out you themselves.

Turns out I thought wrong then, as I was thinking a player could still move their arm as long as they were in motion, but that suggests strictly speaking they can't, but it's not a penalty if the ball would have been grounded if they hadn't moved their arm. It means the Dudson one was only just legitimate because he just about made it to the try line regardless of his reaching out.

It's only a 2nd movement if the momentum of the tackle has stopped. People seem to think the tackle stops when the ball carrying arm hits the deck but it stops once the player is stationary or called held. As long as Dudson is still sliding he can get his arm free and reach out. He just can't do that once his movement is stopped. The arm was in the air and reached out before the tackle was complete so I don't see how that was a double movement.

I thought the scoreline flattered Wigan to be honest. It was a little disappointing because despite the changes our middles still had plenty of experience, but those players lacked intensity. I was also incredibly underwhelmed by Isa as usual. Our right edge got torn apart in defence and it wasn't all down to Smith, Thornley and Halsall - there were some poor decisions from Isa and he was ineffective in attack. You need the senior players to stand up. We tried to play expansive without earning the right to and that led to a predictably error strewn performance. With the inexperienced Astley on the left edge alongside McDonnell the threat we'd usually have was gone and so when we tried to go that way things didn't really work out. Astley will improve in time as he's only young. Physically he handled the game well but he really needs to stop kicking the ball early in the tackle count. There were some good points for Wigan. Some of our backs had decent games. Miski was really strong returning the ball despite having no service on our left edge. Halsall was strong too. Neither look out of place. If any back comes in for criticism for our weak defence it's probably Thornley. Nicholson was strong in the carry, defended with intensity and took his tries well. Shorrocks did well and I also thought Smith had a good game in the circumstances and was behind most of the good things we did in attack. Not a lot to read into that game. Yes, we had a decent front row that didn't muscle up but our game against Saints will have taken it out of some of those players. The youngsters had a dig but couldn't find enough to cohesion to really settle down. One thing that did cross my mind is that we actually miss Pearce-Paul at centre.

I agree with this to some extent. The of the big differences between the two is definitely their levels of aggression in how they play the game. Bateman at his best can be a real mongrel in defence, whereas Farrell at his best is a solid, workhorse defender. If you were to put both of them up against a much bigger 110kg back row forward Bateman would be far more likely to put in a dominant tackle. That makes a difference at international level and its why Bateman would be considered 1st choice between the two by most coaches. Having said that, Farrell had a good year last year (hence why he was once again named in the dream team) and his form only dipped later in the year when he picked up an injury. Compare both players in terms of form in the last two years though and Farrell wins by a long, long way. Bateman is starting to show a bit more form which is great. If his form approaches what he's capable of he'll be right side second rower for England and I'd expect Whitehead to be on the left. I do think Farrell is more than worthy of a place in the England squad though. He's never really played badly in the 10 games he's played for England previously, and when you consider he's not played for England for 6 years that means he's never played for England while at his peak. He's not likely to let anyone down if he's selected, which is probably better as a back up player than someone who occasionally players well in Super League but lacks consistency. There's plenty about his game that can still make him a threat at international level. The lines he runs are second to none, he's got pace, agility, an underrated passing game and the intelligence to put himself in the right places at the right time. For me he's probably not going to be one of our starting players, but barring an unprecedented drop in form he has to make the squad.

Saints will win, but I'm hoping Wigan improve upon the Good Friday performance and make it more competitive. I've read a lot about Saints having players missing but it won't make much of a difference. Their pack is still by far the strongest in the competition and it's the pack that will win them the game. Wigan won't be able to do too much penned in our own half, which is often what happens when the Saints pack is anywhere near it's best. In fact in years gone by Saints have had pretty ordinary halves, or sometimes no recognised halves at all, and still been strong because of their pack. Ultimately we can't match them down the middle where it matters unless they are well off their game, and I can't see that being the case in a knockout game. Having said that, if there are a few absences for Saints, or players carrying knocks, it may be worth an extra try or two for Wigan or a try or two less for Saints, but if it's close Saints will still have the edge. Like most Wigan fans, I just want to see continued improvement over the course of the season and beyond and some signs that we might be able to close the gap to Saints in the next 2 to 3 years.

To think he started the year in a Japanese jail and now he's on his way to Leigh. Things are going from bad to worse for this guy.