PRIOR to the 2025 Super League season, rugby league fans were keen to see the Captain’s Challenge – a rule that enables a team to dispute a refereeing decision – be adopted for the new campaign.
With it working so well in the NRL for so many years, Super League followed suit. But, it’s fair to say, it has bombed completely.
Decisions take too long, there is far too much standing around and even then the correct decision is sometimes not actually given.
An example: on Saturday night, Wigan Warriors travelled to Castleford Tigers where they would eventually run out 26-20 winners courtesy of a late Liam Farrell try.
But, a highly contentious incident arrived on the hour when Wigan challenged the decision of a knock-on when Harry Smith lost possession.
At that moment, Castleford’s Josh Simm hacked the ball on before being clearly pulled back by Smith, allowing Tyler Dupree the space and time to pick up the loose ball.
Referee Tom Grant had adjudged that Smith initially knocked on – which the Warriors disputed.
Fair enough, the Wigan halfback lost possession backwards, but his professional foul on Simm was deemed ‘not contact sufficient’ by video official Aaron Moore.
It was a baffling decision which, when added to the ruling by Moore not to sinbin Adam Keighran earlier following a late tackle on Alex Mellor, left the Tigers up against it.
The Captain’s Challenge was supposed to clear up things on the field, not add more confusion but, with each passing game, viewers are becoming increasingly frustrated by the lack of clarity, the lack of efficiency and the ridiculously-long passage of video tape that needs to be perused before a decision – which could have been made five slides earlier – is finally given.
The rule needs to be seriously looked at before more viewers are turned off with what they see.