Why is it negative. Rugby isn't all about throwing the ball about with gay abandon, it's called applying pressure it happens in big games.

Leeds are winning cups and your team is getting relegated boring or not what would you rather see

oh dear.

I couldn't care less if it was boring. Leeds won. Their job was to win, not play attractive rugby. I don't mention anywhere in my post it was boring. That wasn't my point.

My point was that it was 16-10 to Leeds with 30 minutes left. Leeds had ended nearly every set by banging it in to touch, seemingly happy to defend the lead rather than trying to increase it. If Cas won, i guarantee Leeds fans would have been saying " we played too conservatively when we had the possession etc" That was my point. As i said earlier, it worked out in the end but when i posted it, Cas were right in the game when Leeds should really have been out of sight

Leeds tactic of kicking to touch wasn't negative at all it was great. Dorn is Cas's fastest man and he didn't get a look in.
Leeds went there desperate to win, they thought their tactics through. Kicking was part of it, also to play it tight with few errors.
Those tactics won the match plus outstanding games from Hall, McGuire & Burrow.
Nothing negative, just how to win a Cup Final.

I understand where you’re coming from, but only Mr Sinfield can give you the answer.

At a guess, they may have been worried about Cas attacking from deep in broken play. By putting down the scum the defensive structure was kept intact.

Winning tactics end off

No they weren't

Make the opposition attack from deep and play the game in their half....is it pretty? No. Does it make for a great spectacle? No. Does it win the trophy? Yes.

I actually do see where you are coming from, and felt at the time that if we had pushed a little harder, we could have secured the game earlier. But at the end of the day, it worked, and we were fairly comfortable.

they got a lead and then stopped cas playing their own game, good tactics that worked and it won the cup for them.
they were there to win the cup not to entertain neutrals.
congratulations to leeds

Stopped us from playing our game. Boring or not. Great tactics by Leeds. We couldn't do anything in the first half. Second half we were much improved but still found ourselves starting our sets too deep. Leeds should have won by more though, they had so many sets in our half but couldn't score. Just glad we made a game of it for 70 minutes and I saw Cas at Wembley.

Played to the rules and controlled the game. Stifled Castlefords attack and game. It's a pity when teams then potentially have more space to work with, make so little of it.

If you wanted to avoid this how would you change the rules. NRL already use a zero tackle if kicked dead in goal to try and encourage more thoughtful play.

Don't blame Leeds for employing boring tactics, blame Cas for not being able to counter them!
I was rooting for Cas at the beginning but really pleased Leeds won I the end.

I believe Sir Kev is gathering up all the winners medals and is going to ship them back to the RFL along with the trophy and a written apology to RL fans everywhere, and you personally, for not throwing the ball about recklessly. The homecoming is off too.




I'm sure Bulls team that held a 14 point lead over Saints with 20 minutes to go is still lauded for it's fluent rugby despite losing. IIRC weren't Saints tactics that day just to put kicks to a full-back who's 'arris had fallen out? May have been the year after. That's the thing - no one remembers! I do remember who won it though. Also there was no chance of it being as dull as last years Final. You should have gone BM. A great day out and both sets of fans were a credit to the game. Had a good booze up and sing-song with Leeds and Cas fans.

What a glorious Sunday morning!

So a Bulls fan moans about Leeds 'winning tactics



Couldn't make it up could you?!

They'll be moaning about the boring way we make a profit each year too.

Very true

Or how our defence stayed quite tight through the game and how our drives won cruical yards

You know the important things that win important games

There was a set of bulls fans sat in front of me supporting cas and they were visibly frustrated and irritated with leeds tactics, you could see them gesticulating more and more with every grubber kick into touch because it was preventing cas build up any tempo and momentum in attack.

Lawrie I haven't said anywhere in my post it was boring, as I've said about 3 times now, when it was posted, there were 6 points in the game with 30mins left. My point was Leeds should have been out have sight with all the possession they had.

Congratulations on the win.

At the end of the day, knockout rugby is about winning. As long as it's not illegal, any tactic is fair game, so well done Leeds

I never said you did call it 'boring'

I'm with Bull Mania on this. I thought this during the game. Anything could of changed that game for Castleford to get a roll on. I understood the first couple of kicks into touch to get a feel of the game but Cas were there for the taking and Leeds still played the stop start tactic keeping Cas in the game for longer than they should of been.

However, IF they had been told to play attacking rugby.. and it hadn't of come off, they'd have been accused of not respecting there opponent.

Basically leeds can't win.. Because there Leeds.

Game as a whole. I'd rather of seen Leeds play the class stuff they can and I would of loved to of seen Cas' nerves not control them but it wasn't to be.

Well done Leeds for winning and well done Cas for getting there. The experience will surely help them come playoffs.

But it didn't, rendering your whole post null and void.

Leeds controlled them by playing the very tactics you are saying they shouldn't have played. Nothing to do with Cas nerves.

Why are people moaning about last years final? Hull were decent in defence but were totally lacking in attack. It was played in a downpour which stiffled the game. Wigan crossed the line a couple of times and Hull didn't.

It wasn't a classic but with that scenario it was never going to be a classic.

Yesterday Leeds did what they had to do to secure victory. It may not have been entertaining for the neutral but in a final teams are more concerned about winning the trophy than entertaining the masses.

How is my "whole" post null and void?
Please explain?
The tactics kept Cas in the game for longer than they could of been IN MY OPINION. I'm not saying that it wasn't a winning tactic. They won the game.. How could I suggest otherwise? The nerves were clearly there to see IN MY OPINION. Leeds are a team that can apply attacking pressure and I believe (not certain because it never happened) that they COULD of finished out that game quicker than they did.
Is that hard to understand or are you going to "null and void" the whole post because you don't share the opinion.

At the World Cup semi last year I was sat next to two blokes from Watford. The cup final was their first game and they loved it, so much so that they booked tickets for the semi final which they were totally engrossed in, despite not knowing all of the rules etc.

Yet after last years final people were in meltdown on here saying it had done all sorts of damage. We need to stop being so over sensitive and realise that we actually do have a pretty good product, we just need start banging the drum more instead of being our own worst enemy.

Every cup final we seem to have Dave Woods constantly telling us that the game is by no means a classic. Then look at origin for example, game two this year was unrecognisable in terms of RL. Yet because Ray Warren and the propaganda machine kept saying how amazing it was, most were taken in by it.