No place in our game for it

Hope the RFL fine them too

I presume you're talking about Wigan?

If so there's no need for the RFL to get involved, they lost. That's enough punishment. A coach has a squad and is entitled to use it as he wishes.

What difference does it make? None whatsoever... it doesn't matter. Wigan will still finish comfortably in the Top 4 and Widnes will still finish last. No other teams affected by the result. Welcome to Super League where the top clubs can always afford to throw games

Anybody know what the odds on a Widnes win were?

Stop with this talk of disrespect. It effectively gives wigan and exuse they dont deserve. It implies they played a reserve team against us and thats why we won. They actually had what? three or four regular first teamers missing? well so did we, our first choice stand off, best prop and our top try scorer amongst them. we beat them fair and square.

It won't be the only game of the season where a SL club rests a lot of players against Widnes. With luck they might pick up 4 or 5 wins this year which won't look quite as shabby as initially feared.

What are the actual rules on fielding your strongest available team?

The only rule i am aware of to do with the team picked is the one about picking a 19 man squad 48 hours before the match. Or something along those lines.

I don't think there is any case to answer here, Rugby League is a squad game played throughout 30+ games in a season, if you choose to blood a few younger players then it is entirely your call.

From a Widnes point of view I don't think any talk of a weakened side will matter, you can only beat the side in front of you and I'm sure everyone at the club is delighted to get off the mark in front of a big crowd at home against Wigan. They came from behind in both halves and will take a lot of confidence from that.

From Wigan's point of view, these dropped points aren't going to mean a great deal in the grand scheme of things, they will still be there or there abouts come finals time and hopefully have their top players fit and ready for the business part of the season. On top of that they have introduced a number of their young talented players to first team rugby, of course mistakes will be made but the kids who played today will take a great deal from this game in the long run despite initial disappointment with the result.

Look at the end of the day we've ended up with what sounds like a fantastic, competitive game of football involving a high number of young British players.

Fook that. I hope they "disrespect" us as well.

Their isn't one and their should never be one. Silly in the Premiership when teams get fined for fielding a weakened side. It should be the club/coach prerogative who they pick to do the job. If Wigan had won would this thread even exist?

Think the biggest disrespect is to dismiss' Widnes (who have suffered badly through injuries this year) win down to Wigan underestimating them.

Getting a little tired of all this 'disrespect' stuff being chucked around by the Wigan fans. Get over yourselves. Simply an attempt to take the attention away from the fact that we also were missing our best halfback, our top try scorer and two of our higher profile signings. We were FAR from first choice at 1-13. If those players had played, we may have been winners by 21 points not just 1.

Just said this on our forum, but I'm not buying the disrespect line in the slightest. How can a team selection be considered disrespectful when it was good enough to go 18 points up and only lost to a drop goal in the last five minutes? Gibberish. That team blew a 36-18 lead and cost Wigan two points. That's the bottom line. They've let themselves and their coach down by doing so

Widnes won great stuff but to get to the o. p. wigan fielded a weakened team bringing the game into disrepute didn't saints get fined a few years ago for pulling the same stunt at bradford?

Be interesting what new accounts with bookmakers got opened in wigan during the week



Looked at the team posted on skysports centre and spat my cup of tea out,as there been a outbreak of food posioning at pooles pies?For the wigan numpty coach to field that team?

Serves him right hope the 2 points cost them

As plenty have said, the punishment has already been inflicted. A coach can and should choose whatever side he likes from his squad. The consequences are for his team in terms of points, and his job in terms of how his board of directors reacts to a loss resulting from a deliberately weaker selection.

Widnes fans must have enjoyed that a lot. I doubt they'll be calling for the game's result to be nullified on the grounds of "disrespect".

As far as I am aware the point of registering a squad is that you can pick anybody at all from your first team squad. If you can't, then why are they in the first team squad? The RFL has no role in team selection. Saints can play whoever they want, whenever they want. Who are the RFL to rule on what is Saints' (or anyone's) "strongest team", and anyway where is the rule that says the "strongest team" has to be selected?

Of course, you can call it disrespectful or whatever, like when Saints fielded the reserves against Bradford and cost us a fortune at the gate, but if the other clubs have a problem with it, then they need to address it amongst themselves. Personally I hope they do it every week and finish last. It bit them on the arrse today, but seemingly they only lost because Charnley missed a sitter of a goal, which his gran could have backheeled over. IF he'd kicked it, and Wigan won, then it would clearly be impossible to say they should have played a stronger team. And totally impossible to "fine" them.

What you're really saying is Wigan should be fined or whatever if they lose to Widnes. And it's nonsense.

Wigan disrespectful? How very dare you! You'll be accusing them of fiddling the salary cap next!

Congrats to Widnes on an excellent first win. You've put a smile on the face of a lot of Rugby League fans today.

No one more than me. The start we've had has depressed me quite a bit.

I think it's less disrespect than a misjudgement by Wane - but then going on Widnes' results so far perhaps only a bad decision in hindsight. Said to the Mrs yesterday Widnes would be well up for this - a few ex-Wigan players, Denis Betts at the helm, the knowledge it's a weakened Wigan side. Not surprised we lost.

I didn't go today but even with a few Wigan players missing Widnes must have played a blinder to win, and let's not forget they also had several players missing. Big congratulations to them on a massive win.

Life goes on.

Personally i think he did disrespect Widnes and got his just deserts. I think he thought Wigan only had to turn up and they had the two points. For a coach this is unforgvable.

RFL should ban or fine him, Wane can choose who he wants. Wigan have lost the two points.

Giants fielded a weakened team at wakey but still smashed them!
Well done to widnes,great win regardless of who was missing for wigan who prob look a bit silly now

Thanks Widnes for helping the giants to the top of the league

I think you'll find it is an accusation being levelled [iat[/i us, not an excuse being used [iby[/i us.

I suggest you read the Wigan board. It is full of Wigan fans saying you 'disrespected' us. You didnt. You just rested your 3 key players while we had our 3 key players out with injury. End of.