What is all this about? a Sin-binning was always efficient up until this season when it seems it's the norm to be given a straight red. What is the recipient of a flare up meant to do when the instigator of a punch-up lands one, just stand there?

Gladitorial sport and all that.

Can't be the only one who's sat in the pub watching a game when a fight has occured on the pitch and you get people who hadn't even given the match a look become interested in it, always has and always will be a part of the sport, not liking it being sterilised as recently

Unfortunately it looks like the RFL are trying to take away every last bit of aggression and combat from the sport. I agree, red card for fighting is pathetic unless it goes too far a bit like the Saints v.s Wigan on last year at Magic weekend.

Could be worse. Could be red carding for swearing in the vicinity of the referee as happened last night.

Don't remember sin bins being handed at the Etihad last season when Wigan had their foot firmly on the throat of Saints.

Whilst I dont want to take away all aggression from the sport, its worth noting that for every bloke in a pub gets mildly interested in RL by a fight, there's a mum sat at home thinking "there's no way I'm letting my son play that".

There may have been a tad over-reaction by a couple of refs in recent games but on the whole I don't think its too far off.

It should be a yellow card for me. If players know its going to be an automatic sending off I wonder how long it will be before someone instigates a fight just to get an opposing player sent off.

For employees playing professional sport, within the laws of the game, there is no place for fighting and swearing in their workplace. The ruling body cannot be seen to endorse such behaviour, hence sending offs and suspensions.

Pretty sure most workplaces don't allow tackling colleagues to the ground either!

Prof RL is an aggressive sport played by tough young men, ffs it's not like a flair up causes serious injuries. The very fabric of the game is being eroded by this softening up and will get to the point where no one will be interested, except the mums apparently!

A bit of biff was always seen as a real element of proof that the players were serious in what they were doing.

A Saints Wigan match had to have a bit of the biff in the first 10 minutes. GB v Aus the same.

Crowds like a bit of biff as does Hollywood.

Anyone remember the film SLAPSHOT ?

This 'pc' rubbish (politically correct) is ruining the game. 'PC's real name is cultural marxism.

Rugby fights are boring. Its not exactly Sugar Ray Leonard on show is it? Just a pub fight between big blokes. It's more interesting when its gets tasty as expressed by players trying to smash seven bells out of each other through big (legal) hits. They're supposed to be skilled at that, hence better to watch.

Spot on

I've followed the debate in ice hockey about fighting over the last few years, with specific regard to the [url=http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/06/sports/hockey/derek-boogaard-a-brain-going-bad.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0untimely death of Derek Boogaard[/url.
OK, it's not quite the same as hiring people, such as Boogaard, to go out specifically to fight, but it's still large blokes going at it, bare-knuckle, with all the associated risks to health.
If the shoulder charge has been outlawed on grounds of player safety, then surely fighting comes under the same banner.

Aside from that, from a coaches perspective, players getting involved in a scrap shows a lack of control and that their mind isn't on the job in hand. I'd expect a coach to be furious with any of his players that got involved and take steps to dissuade them from getting involved.

should we take a leaf out of NHL and anyone starting a fight get taken to one side and allowed to get on with it one on one for a minute

ps i was being a little bit sarcastic

Ratings would soar!

when a scrap starts up I'm usually the sad boring old saying we are playing the wrong game. Much rather the aggression was shown in the game legally than spill over into fisty cuffs. It's often started to put a team off their game when they're beating you. There have been some gooduns over the years but generally I think it's the wrong way to do it.

The Boogie man

But surely it should be up to those who play the game... and 99% of them love it (biff AND shoulder charge) and accept the risk.

Depends what risk the governing body deem acceptable and, to a lesser extent, what image they're trying to portray. I think there's enough risk in the game without allowing bare-knuckle fighting.

Fighting should never be a red card offence unless it gets really out of hand. The Jewitt Vs Walker and Tickle Vs Hauraki bouts didn't deserve red cards, just some forwards letting off some steam.

Sin bin to cool off should be adequate. No need for red cards at Hull the other night - bizarrely two others did get yellow. If anything really naughty happens then the judiciary in the week can act further.

I don't think anyone's advocating fighting to go unpunished but the sin-bin is perfect for this kind of offence. A sending off with the standard match ban is far too harsh in the scheme of things.

I dread to think how many players will be left on the field on the Hull derby or if this red-card frenzy goes global and in the Origin. I remember last year's SOO, an outrage broke out after the ref decided to sin-bin both players in a minor scrap, it was unheard of

The refs are getting over enthusiastic about carding players.
Two weeks ago Robert Hicks binned Sam Tomkins for dissent after his decision on a 20 restart v goal line drop out. Replays showed Hicks made the wrong decision. Tomkins shouldn't have verbally had a go but Hicks made five wrong decisions over catching the ball whilst the foot is our of play during the game. He was applying last year's rules. Don't know anything about Hock's red card for swearing but Hicks was the ref. I'd bet on the Hicks getting the decision wrong and Hock having a go.

Common sense needs to come in. Its a tough contact sport, at times it will cross the line. A yellow card should be enough. It allowts the coach to have a calming word ti calm things down and for the players to calm down. If it is that bad then thr disciplanary panel can be more severe punishment if needed.

Imo if biffs are sending off offences then head high tackles should be as well.

Hicks sent him to the bin after the touch judge ran on. That was the only time the touch judge interjected himself in the whole game, missing knock ons and forwards from both teams. So Hicks didn't even hear him swear the first time. The red came after Hock reacted badly to that.

Obviously angry at Hock for getting sent off like that but I've never seen a player sent off for swearing before. I know Jimmy Lowes was sin binned plenty of times because he couldn't keep his mouth shut but never red.

Im sorry, you've lost me there.