As regular readers will know I am the only person in the world without sky,
So, youtube only shows the first punch and then the second.
Did Hohaie do something before the tackle?
Even if he did how long a ban should Flower get?
Was it worse than Danes transgretion which got him 10 games.
Was it the coaches instruction?
After all how many forwards did Wigan have on the bench?
Sacrifice a prop to "do" the playmaker?
Didn't work however.
Should legal proceedings be taking against Flower?
Very emotive. I know, but, I do believe hard men don't punch anyone like that on the ground.
My thoughts? I know you will all say "what happens on the field, stays on the field" but for me, legal proceedings followed by at least a one year ban.
Millions watching Rugby League that day, we were very badly let down.

What happened was that flower pushed hohia over from a Wigan kick and hohia took offense and forearmed flower in the head. Flower then hit him with the best right hand you've ever seen ( which to me is alright) but he then saw that hohia was clearly knocked out and smacked him bang on the cheek towards the eye which is the most sicken part of it all. and if you look on YouTube I think you can see shaun wane saying knock them out in a half time I think against Huddersfield. and regards to a ban I think 4 months at least. it was much worse than manning's IMO

The ' push ' was more of a forearm across the back of the head ,Hohaia's was more of a push

No excuses for Flowers

I only saw what I thought was a push,but to me it looked like hohaia's reaction he had almost gone in with a forearm 'shove' into flower. but as you say you cant condone flower's actions. His second punch certainly and he should have the book thrown at him

Hohaia forearmed him to the jaw and the first punch was fully deserved IMHO but the second was completely unacceptable.
I'd say it was worse than Mannings but I'd be shocked if they gave him the same ban.

Your opinion of Flowers forearm across the back of Hohaia's head that started it?

Must hold my hand up and say I have n't fully seen that. The first lot of cross blows are something that happens most weeks, the floor shot is something we don't want to see ever again.

Bottom line is Flowers started it, it was all his fault, no excuses

'have to agree will all above . I have only seen part of the incident that has been shown in a national newspaper 'online'. You don't see a punch like the second one in U F C, it's no wonder he didn't come back on the field, bet he still does not know which planet he is on.
Is sine die too harsh for blatent thuggery?

I would give Hohia a 2 game ban reduced to 1 given he sat out the grand final. You cant elbow a player in the jaw and I thought flowers first punch was fair dues, the second one indefensible though.

I would give Flower anything between a 10-15 game ban although knowing the rugby league they will give him a time span ban of something like 4 months so it looks like they have banned him for a long time when the reality is that it is a nothing of a ban.

It was ten times worse than what Dane did, nothing in the first tackle Dane did and then had a stand up fight, yes out of order but he didnt punch a barley conscious, unable to defend himself, opponent in the head with a punch that realistically could have killed someone.

Spot on GFB. They'll ban him for about 15 weeks - from NOW until February, easy way out for the RFL

www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/rugbyl ... tions.html www.express.co.uk/sport/otherspo ... rand-Final

www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/rugbyl ... tions.html www.express.co.uk/sport/otherspo ... rand-Final

Charged with grade F (mustn't be a Z ). Missed game as at Eastleigh but my son
was watching it on youtube in car 15 minutes after it happened live so i knew it was bad.

Rugby Football League says Wigan's Ben Flower handed six-month ban for punching Lance Hohaia of St Helens in the Super League Grand Final

Three month of that is when they don't play, so 3 month it is then.

He is only going to miss 11 competitive games isn't he?

12 games all together with 2 pre season friendlies and 10 competitive. Due back in the game 14th April 2015. Wigan are not appealing and are going to stick by him. Saint's Chairman has said he must be supported in his rehabilitation by all concerned.

Then I think Dane was harshly treated.

Wasnt that far off then.

I think the RFL would have come out of it better by making him agree to go on an anger management course. I mean most people have had the red mist descend but most people can still keep themselves under control when it happens. Somebody who cant keep it under control like flower didnt usually have deeper rooted problems.

It's a joke, less than Worrincy and same pretty much as Manning.

gotta take into account it was a a wigan saints grand final, he'll have been off his head on adrenaline to point where he'd have knocked the queen out if she'd had come into contact with him. I think the fact that it has been shown in super slow motion a thosand times makes it look a lot worse than it actually was (although still pretty bad) in real time you can see he had already commited to giving the second punch and had no time to alter his decision making

Out of interest I was just looking at the forum for our Leigh friends. It saddened me to see a topic entitled "dirty pie scum". This was started by the one and only Dick Jones, a key member of LISA, Leigh Independent Supporters Club. Some of you may remember that she was the one who first broke the bombshell that Sam had a fractured skull after Danes tap.
How sad that some one like this who obviously does a lot of invaluable work for her own club can have such a vitriolic opinion of other clubs.
And thereby lies a big part of the problem. Before the game the comments coming out of both camps was more like two heavy weight boxers before a fight. Words like "war" and "hate", and now "Dirty Pie Scum" dragging our sport down to the level of football.
It's a game for goodness sake, surely we are rivals not enemies!

No disrespect but slow motion did not make it look worse than it was. It was a cowardly attack on someone defenceless, I could accept "being commited" to the second punch if the other bloke had remained standing, but, to follow him to the floor and punch him in possibly the most vulnerable part of his face is inexcusable.
If someone is so pumped up on "adrenaline" that they can't control that second punch or indeed "knock the Queen out" then they need help. As Gregg said an anger management course would be appropriate together with a more severe ban.
Andrew Gale Yorkshire Captain got a four match ban and ordered to attend anger management classes simply for telling a South Africa player to "go back to your own country"
The ECB accepted there was no racial intent but it was simply against ECB directives and improper.
Different games I know, but I know which governing body has more credibility.

And the Worrier got what for striking a bet?.
He must have hit that betting slip with some force.

Can't condone Flower as my previous post , sine die in my book.

I think the punishment was soft, but I think the RFL are weak, they probably decided that their decision would not provoke an appeal, with knowing their track record their decision would have been over turned. Just look at the debacle over the points deduction. Which incidentally what has happened since then.
Sine Die in my humble opinion would never stand up on appeal, and would be far too harsh.
Dane got a similar ban for an offence no where near as bad as "that punch" but we haven't got the weight of Wigan.