Given the high profile nature of the match and the large number of miscreants on the pitch, the RFL should make an example of Widnes. Completely shocking stuff. What are the precedents for this type of thing...must be a long time since this happened on this scale.

BBC tried to keep it quiet and not mention it (which is the right thing for them to do) but it was obvious they were on the pitch and goading the Cas fans.

The mad thing about that was Peacock & Crabtree where praising the Widnes fans they had their backs to the field LOL..I feel really sorry for the Widnes Club they have made massive strides over the past few years and those idiots have ruined the clubs reputation big style

Well I for one think it is wrong to tar all of Widnes's fans with the same brush just because of some drunken numpties.

I have been watching RL since I was 7 years old and have to say that is the first time I have seen their "fans" behave like that.

Don't know why I posted fans. Those idiots on the field had daft smiles on their faces and I know proper fans would have been gutted to see their team lose in a semi final.

Lets leave it to the Widnes club to sort it.

Widnes have always had idiots, the last time they were at the LSV a Leigh fan was attacked, let's face it, their supporters just can't handle their ale or getting beaten.... Pity we didn't get them in the quarters.
All that said, I hope the RFL take rational approach to dealing with this incident, and punish the fans involved (including children from the footage I've seen), it is a criminal offence what they did, the sign they destroyed informed them of that... Treat them as criminals and remember the club can't vet every so called supporter

the idiot who kicked the mascot head admitted it on twitter.....all over facebook - what a tool and shows how bright some Widnes fans are.

To call Widnes scum is out of order. It is a minority and most of these seen in the photos never go the games. I am not pleased and I hope the CCTV gets these football fans banned for life.

Is that the football fans who had Widnes shirts on?

Can't believe one numpty took his lad, who looked about 7yo, and wearing a Widnes Away shirt, with him to goad the Cas fans! Clearly seen while Powell was being interviewed.

What a disgrace of a parent!

I was referring to the minority

The only way to deal with it is unfortunately to make the club responsible and that means a huge fine. The genuine Widnes supporters can then identify the idiots bringing shame on Widnes RLFC and the club can then take retrospective action against the perpetrators starting with banning orders.

It should serve as a lesson to every club and supporters that we simply do not want these idiots in our sport and they should stick to football.

The Watcher believes that the only reasonable punishment for Widnes is a 2 year ban from the challenge cup. Then they might try & do something about this recurring problem they have.

I really don't understand why people think these people were football fans.

It is a standard get out clause.

What happened does not surprise me as I have not seen so many drunks milling around town at 12.00 in my life.The Whistling Wren was full at 11.30 and the Thomas Burke was packed early doors. I heard trouble was brewing outside The Brittania which was full of Cas fans who were being goaded by a gang of Widners fans.

No excuse at all but not a surprise as all the elements were there,I do admire the Cas fans who did not raise to the bait and there were some big lads there who I'm sure would of relished getting stuck into the Widnes fans on the pitch.

Side issue but I think the RFL will have been made up at the LSV ,it looked great on TV ,the pitch was as good as any in the country and it was full,and the atmosphere came across really well on the TV.

No condoning the minority who caused these scenes but the lack of stewarding was a worry. Iv seen clips up to 8 minutes in length and can see only a hand full of stewards actually on the pitch and none of them seemed to be taking any kind of action. Sure widnes will deal with the culprits if any of them are actually regular fans.

Stewards are generally encouraged not to get 'involved' as such as it can just escalate the situation. As it is, given the numbers involved, there would have had to be an incredible number to have prevented the disorder. And not ones on minimum wage, either.

Not much the stewards could have done against the sheer number of idiots running onto the pitch. They did a good job at keeping them out of the Cas fans though which is most important, though that was no doubt helped by the Cas fans rising above it and not getting involved.

The stewards looked totally out of their depth, when the invaders were approaching the celebrating Cas players the stewards should have had the nous to get between them. Well done to the young lady in a steward's jacket who tried to stem the tide.

A fair percentage of the stewards look too old or too unfit, most hadn't a clue.

Its a problem that is more associated to football than it is to the family game. However I did not refer to them as fans.

Talking (as you did) of get out clauses.. Another is to blame the stewards. Unbelievable.

Where in my post did I say the stewards were to blame? What happened was caused entirely by the Widnes morons. Having watched the videos a few times the response of the stewards was shall we say lethargic.

May be the perceived “family game” is the issue then. Stewards taking a nice Sunday wage instead of being prepared for incidents like this. Yes the majority of the blame lies with the Widnes minority but these people are getting paid to protect and contain crowds, for one female steward to be surrounded by a large number of fans is a shambolic.

You do have to question why there's wasn't a larger police presence at the corner of each end at the end of the game to.

Stewards are there to assist the crowd, not stick their body on the line to take a clout from some drunken from Cronton.