By the way, this is not a post match moan when we've had a very good hard earned victory - merely an observation based on a few occasions when this scenario has come up. The fact that in each of the cases I've referred to, the decision didn't end up costing us suggests I'm wrong, I'm just thinking from the point of view of REALLY not wanting to see any more short kick offs with a few minutes to go in big games and having to sweat potentially unnecessarily for a few minutes

It can also be quite uplifting for a defence that successfully stops a team on their line when that team has turned down the opportunity of two points.

Impossible to answer (even for TVOC) but I'd love to know how many points Leeds have "lost" by refusing the two and then not getting a try. Nothing frustrates me more than when a penalty is refused and the ball is turned over a tackle or two later!

My recollection is the Leeds team of 2004 under Tony Smith started this trend of running penalties. That was then and this is now. that team was so superior to the rest of the league that it could afford to do that. No team since has, IMO, had such dominance.

I would say take the two every time but I think the new shift in thinking is about right.

Even in landslide victory or defeat?

I'm reminded of Alex Murphy's reaction to Paul Vautin turning down a kickable penalty while Saints were getting nilled by Wigan at Wembley. Let's just say that even though it would have had zero impact on the actual result, he wasn't best pleased at his captain choosing to run the ball on that occasion.

against the top teams i'm always glad to see a score posted as you expect a top notch defence unit trying to stop you scoring a try but i'd feel differently on friday if we didn't back ourselves against london on friday

Even if we lost by a point?