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.

To be fair I think most Wigan fans agree that the side selected was more than capable of winning the game and were beaten by a hungrier side on the day. I don't see any value in discussing who didn't play, once the 34 players have been selected that's it game on, Widnes came away with the spoils today and that's that.

The video ref thread is currently cracking me up. As if they only lost the game due to dodgy decisions the video referee would have picked up. You'd think they were scrapping around the bottom the way some of their fans behave sometimes.

indeed. Sour grapes never tasted so good

You've buggered up my ' franchising doesnt work ' argument

No ones saying widnes won becaues wigan rested players. They may well have won even if wigan had played full strength.

The issue is wigan rested players presumably because they thought the game would be an easy win. Theres no need for widness fan to get uppity. We're on your side here.

20/1 when I checked before the game kicked off! I didn't bet on unfortunately, but was confident enough to take the 34+ start giving to Widnes.

Wigan losing 2 points is all well and good, but it won't make a difference to them. They will still be top 4 at the end of the season.

It makes a huge difference at the other end of the table though. Widnes got 2 points today that no one expected them to get, and probably wouldn't have got if Wigan had played their full team. Just a few weeks ago at Cas, Wigan played a full team and set their intentions out from the start and ran riot. Today they rested several key players and were turned over. It's just bloody frustrating.

Castelford bent over though

They bent over and took a right good pounding. Then the week after played like their lives depended on it against leeds (kel suprise!) Maybe if they'd played with the same intensity wigan wouldn't have won even with a full strength team.

So I can see how it's frustrating, if the team bends over one week and then goes all out the next.

But that's got nothing to do with wigans team selection.

Not sure if they got fined - it was the game where Long and Gleeson were caught betting against St Helens, though.

Leeds were fined once back in the nineties for fielding an under-strength team before their Challenge Cup final, but I'm still not sure what the actual RFL ruling is...

Only beat what's in front of you.

Wigan had five players out, Widnes had six out.

We deserved our win regardless of whatever any numpty says.

Well, there's no arguing with that, at least!

Pipe down.

Wigan chose to field a weakened team because presumably they thought widnes would be easy pickings.

That's the issue.

Wigan disrespected you. No ones saying you didn't deserve to win, you had more first teamers out, but that was inforced, not by choice.

People are on your side here.

Leeds rested players against us and people weren't bleating on about disrespect then. Why should it matter what team they put out, you only play what's in front of you and we beat it. End of. We deserved our win no matter what team Wigan fielded.

...........

No club should be fined for utilising and rotating their squad in any way they deem appropriate. These regular round fixtures are just warm-up games for when the Super League competition really begins in September after Round 27.

The top clubs can afford to experiment with weakened teams and risk losing fixtures, safe in the knowledge they will still comfortably qualify in a good play off position.

Perhaps Wigan have studied the current play-off system in more detail and taken note of where Leeds finished in those play-off's last season, along with the benefits of finishing in a better position for a tilt at the title from just outside the Top 4? Finish 5th or 6th and you are rewarded with an easy home game against a team of no-hopers like Hull or Hull KR. The following week you are rewarded with an easier away game against a team which got bruised and smashed by a top 4 team the week before. All you have to do then is peak for an away semi final and a Grand Final on neutral territory and you are SL champions.

Finishing 2nd last year did Wigan no favours at all so today's loss could well prove to be a blessing in disguise for them and perhaps the first piece in a shrewd tactical operation to finish 5th or 6th.