It would seem Francis Cummins' dummy spit after the game on Friday wasn't enough and he's now decided to complain to the RFL about our tackling technique despite the fact neither the referee nor the disciplinary had a problem with it..............

[urlhttp://www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk/sport/10536276.Lulia_and_Langley_heading_for_Bradford_Bulls_exit/?action=complain&cid=11788982[/url

To be honest you have got form for this type of thing.

I am right in saying that it was the Bulls tackling technique in the under 19s that caused an all in brawl after the hooter?

I would love to see the details of the complaint given that what appeared to be a spear tackle on Charnley seemed to be ignored in the game.

Should be more concerned about his position as a Coach at Bradford.

Really? Please supply us with a long list of charges/penalties/injuries to support this "form"

He sounds a bit like Royston

I didn't watch the full game so it may have been brewing for a while but certainly the spark for the brawl was one of their players bending the leg of one of ours.

As seems to be the case so often these days, Bradford are about three years behind the rest of Super League.

Cummins obviously doesn't realise that 'Wigan's tackling technique' was the 2010 excuse.

If I was his boss, I'd be more interested in his views on how they managed to lose a 16-4 halftime lead.

The 19's brawl was started by a Bradford player extending the leg of Burgess after the hooter.
There were a couple of incidents just before this and the ref had spoken to Beecham and a Bulls prop at a scrum.
Burgess looked (to me) to have been caught with a swinging arm in a tackle after the refs chat.

Our tackling 'technique' is the same as used by all SL clubs now, disappointing when coaches use this kind of attitude to cover up their inadequacies, he's doing a decent job at Bradford, but has let himself down with this.

This just to ddeflect from their poor end to the game which they should have won.
At the press conf after the game Cummins was whinging about not getting decisions. He didn't say that last year when MicMac was sent off and then charged with a grade A offence.

When a player is driving the ball forward and being held by two men yet keeps his legs pumping and going forward, doesn't he expect to get tackled around the legs? Either take the tackle or expect a leg tackle.
This is Cummins deflecting from his team's poor loss.

The danger in this type of tackle, is when the third player in, attacks the knee's. This is quite rightly punished with at least a penalty if the official see's it happen.

Our players technique is second to none in Super League in avoiding the knee joint and dropping from the thigh or pulling the ankles together.

If Cummins learns to look before he starts ranting because he has lost, he won't look such an idiot in future.

Cummings needs to ask himself 1 question:

Why did his side go out of steam in the last 15.

All sides use the 3rd man in now its nothing new he is hiding his own failures on others. Technical term for the next coach to be sacked. He is running out of ideas and now blames others.

Following in the footsteps of fellow Yorkshire whingers who were seeking to deflect from their own inadequacies, Richard Agar and John Kear. Big excuse-makers in 2010. Now coaching in lower divisions. That's the way, Franny.

Richard Agar coaches at Wakefield




I agree with Cummins. I mean, practically every visiting fan on this board has told us how dirty we are and how we're coached to deliberately injure players by 'the ape' but we're just too blinkered to see it.

Near enough.

well, the disciplinary clearly disagreed, the only incident deemed worthy of further action was Logan's grapple tackle.

its a case of whether theres a difference between tackling the knee and attacking the knee. you can see one of the events on the highlights and it seems like a normal tackle round the legs that unfortunately goes wrong as he falls. whether there is inherent danger in this sort of tackle or if these individuals were unlucky at the time, im not sure to be honest.

Summed up perfectly in one sentence.

That's all there is to hear folks. Nothing new on this thread.

Cummins is new to the Head Coach role, and needs to learn how to walk the fine line between protecting his team and himself, and making himself look ridiculous with outrageous comments like this.
If he plans to be in the job for years to come, he will have to bite his tongue when it comes to sounding bitter.

The cynic in me says this is a strategy by Cummins to:

1. Deflect from his side's failing in not closing out the game last week.

2. An attempt to deflect any blame from his own players in the brawl after the 19s game.

The tackle does not get punished anyway. I'm not speaking about Wigan (i never seen the bulls game or highlights) however i think that kind of tackle is disgusting and should result in a 5 game ban, yet the RFL do sweet FA about it.

Tony Puletua vs Wakefield this season (i think) tackled by 2, accepted the tackle then in came the third man straight at the knee, no penalty given, nobody at the RFL found the player guilty, yet Puletua out for 6 weeks with a knee injury. Ive seen quite a few go the same way this year aswell.

It all depends on the circumstances. You can't just ban the 3rd man in. If a player is still moving forward then defenders have a right to join the tackle and that includes round the legs. What is and should be banned is attacking the standing leg especially at the knee joint.

RL is a tough sport and injuries will occur. I can't comment on the TP incident as I've not seen it but from what you describe it should have been punished.

This was investigated by the disciplinary panel already:



So I have to ask - WTF is he whining about?

He needs to worry less about us and more about his own (and his team's) deficiencies.