I have just finished watching the Challelenge Cup Game between Wakefield and Wigan. Wakefield lost, in my opinion because they didn't make full use of their opportunities and the weather conditions in the first half and didn't control the ball well enough in the essential areas.

However, I have some serious concerns about some of the Wigan plays and decisions made by the referee for the safety of players:

1. A high tackle is clearly illegal to protect the attacking player. How is this different from an attacking player striking a defender with his forearm on the chin when you consider the level of potential injury (Hock on Pitts leading to Wigan try)? In my opinion this needs more careful consideration in the rules.

2. A player kicking out in the tackle could seriously injure another player, and should spend some time at least in the sin bin or be sent off. Tomkins may be young, but this is no excuse. Danny Sculthorpe could have been blinded. Tomkins may be naive, but he has to learn, and kicking out in this way is illegal. Letting him get away with it sets a bad example to those watching.

I also have to say that one of the Wigan tries in the first half was clearly from a forward pass, the pass been thrown from outside the 20m area and been taken inside it.

I feel that some discussion on the two points I raised is warranted and I would be grateful of everyone's opinion.

are u a wakefield supporter

To be honest i think far too much was made from the Hock incident, from 1 angle it did look like he simply went to clout him with the elbow and i honestly thought he should have walked when i saw it on the replay, but all the other angles showed him use the hand off with the non ball carrying arm.

If he had not attempted the hand off then he should have been penalised as it was i think it was simply a tough but legal play, if we start penalising contacts like that we may as well go to touch and pass.

Both Hock and Sculthorpe pushed the limit at times though in other aspects of play and i think both were lucky not to spend 10 mins cooling there heals.

doesn't really matter now whether he his or not he has based his opinion on what he saw and there is evidence on television to prove he/she has a point, for what its worth I can see that the the hock leading arm is protecting him self in the tackle but his chin area

and the tomkins kick is down to a quick play the ball, as a fan should we not complain,

one thing I would like to complain about is the 14 man on the field, its getting beyond a joke

lol at bardford fans

Yeh, I'm a Wake' fan of 30 years.
It wasn't a "quick play of the ball", he kicked out. You don't bring your leg above the horizontal to play the ball.
The Hock incident - a HAND off, is appropriately named - its not a "forearm smash to the chin" off.
If Jason Demettriou had of been on the other end of this tackle with his neck the way it is, things could have been very different. I remember a similar tackle, maybe against Wigan last season when Demetriou really flared on maybe his first game back after his neck injury.
Sculthorpe and Leo-Latu always play it close to the bone, but there was nothing like either of these incidents.

What i am saying is i think the handoff made the lead with the elbow look much more dramatic. Mountain out of a mole hill and the right call.

I think its a bit low naming JD as a potential target, he is fit to play the game if he was not he would not.

I do not think the ref was up to much today, but the video ref got it bob on.

Fair enough, but beg to differ.
As someone who has some knowledge of this area we will be seeing a lot more fractured mandibles if this is allowed to happen week in, week out.
I agree if the ref / video ref let it go, maybe our lads need to be a bit more professional, and as Wigan did, use these "interpretations of the rules" to our advantage.
Its one thing Noble has always been good at (apart from when he was with us)- stretching the rules to their max for his sides benefit.

I would like to think i have a little knowledge in the area too, and this kind of thing does go on week in week out. The jaw takes some breaking and in all honesty i do not think the impact was half as dramatic as it looked due to the fact the non ball carrying arm hit Pitts at about the same time and added to him going backwards.

Both teams pushed it close at times but there was no outright dirty play. It's not wendyball is it?
You could look at JD holding back Sam Tomkins off the ball in build up to Phelps is try and point out what a cheat he is but then you have incidents of Wigan players ripping the ball out etc. 6 of one, 1/2 a dozen of the other.

Tompkins should have been dealt with properly, at least going on report. He knew Sculthorpe's face was there and it was a deliberate kick. The ref should have done more about it or just turned his back and allowed Sculthorpe to eat him.

Tompkins is a talented little player, but he could do with keeping that side of his game in check, there is no benefit to be gained from it, look how the careers of Newton and Hock have suffered.

Tomkins shouldn't have kicked out but he did get a leg in the ribs immediately before it. Like I say it was from both sides but nothing out-and-out dirty, just close to edge aggression from both teams. How I like my rugby personally.

it happens every week when teams try and get a quick play the ball for me sculthorpe was lucky not to get binned for slowing the play the ball down .and with regards to the hock incident if u view from face on pitts gets up and gets on with the game it looked bad but was caused by the impact from the tackle.and before u ask i am not a wigan fan

If Sculthorpe had got off Tomkins a bit quicker perhaps he wouldnt have needed to kick out at all.

Sculthorpes new sponsor should be sleepmasters.

They'd have to drop pealasina spondership first, the amount of time it takes that guy to get off the floor

I saw that, but would surely have known the knee in the ribs came from the side and not from the guy holding him from behind?

It was one of those moments of stupid petulance that could have seen him sent off in an instant and his side go on to lose the game.

From a Wigan fan? Glass houses and stones come to mind!!!

agreed 100% it was a try and p poor tackling end of

If Bent ham had put a stop to Pies laying on throughout the whole match we could have had another 5 minutes rugby

To be fair I think that P will be signing a new deal with Peters Pies now that they are very interested in Superleague

u would have him in ur team

id agree with that if hed of bent his back a bit hed of gone under his fore arm lets say the legs

Wigan should have had another try in the first half. The wakey clearly lost the ball before Coley grabbed it. Harsh but didn't matter in the end. I thought Wigan's try was from a forward pass but justice was done for the disallowed try.

Tompkins kick-out wasn't deliberate but Sculthorpe shouldn't have been holding him down. It could have caused an injury but I thought the ref handled it well. I am sure Sam will learn from it.

I think we do need a big unit in our team at times yes, maybe not him though for for such a big lad he is quite quick

How on earth can a Wigan fan possibly complain about holding down Wigan do it week in week out and get away with it. It's the only way thay can give P enough time to get back onside