Ashworth did as carty said he came back on but said there were still protocols to follow. Burough failed his. I was surprised that we didn't bring balmforth on earlier anyway tbh. Maybe the coaches think there is still be some work to do on his defence and didn't feel confident enough to bring him kn earlier when the game was more in the balance

[quote="Chris71":yewd0xlx]I’d say 30secs max for the captains challenge as if it isn’t clear & obvious then refs call stands. Also pretty much the same with try’s, should take no longer than a minute, again if it isn’t clear and obvious then refs call stands. As last night was just painful and detracts from the game.[/quote:yewd0xlx] One of the problems last night, I thought, was that Thaler and the replay operator seemed to be on a different wavelength every time they went to the screen. Thaler would be asking for one angle and the opposite would appear. Every decision seemed to go through this tortuous process, and when they did finally arrive at the best angle Thaler then proceeded to view it around half a dozen times! Every video call was taking 2-3 minutes at a time. I was amazed at what time it was when the game ended, well after 10pm, more two hours after kick-off. It will feel even longer still when sat inside a cold stadium! The process needs speeding up or half the crowd will fall asleep through boredom!

A great win last night all well done to all 17 players. As others have already mentioned, the early signs are that our new experienced players are also bringing the added benefit of supporting the younger players. Last season our back division was primarily made up of our four youngsters Moy, Martin, Barron and Charles. They had very little consistency or support through out the season. Morgan Smith played most games, but then the rest of the back line was made up with whoever was fit that day from Carlos, Sutty, Trueman, Scott. Hopefully this season, the addition of Sezer, Cust, Hardaker and Rapana will add much more experience. Hopefully if all can play 22+ games, much more consistency and allow us to develop proper half back and centre/wing partnerships. That alone will make a significant improvement. Add in better discipline and defence, plus the individual improvement we get from having a stronger squad this season, then collectively our week on week performances should be so much better this season.

Still in the doghouse with the missus after choosing the rugby over her but it was worth it! What a performance! The new signings were sensational and all led by example. Sezer and Cust looked like a proper halfback pairing and minus that heart in mouth moment when Rapana ushered that ball out, he was excellent too. Burrough and Asiata also excelled but the big one I want to applaud is Hardaker. Just loved his overall attitude and work rate last night. Kudos to the existing players as well because everyone really stood up and performed last night. Don't think anyone let us down. They looked like a team last night rather than a bunch of strangers, all operating on the same page in both attack and defence. Especially defence. We were under pressure at times but they remained calm, didn't panic, and worked together to keep Catalans out. Last year we'd have buckled under that pressure resulting in some poor and lazy tackling, gaps would have opened up in defence, and our heads would have gone once a try was conceded. Last night was just such a breath of fresh air to see. It's only one game and there'll be some stumbles along the way but this was a great way to start the season. Might even have a cheeky punt on the playoffs and the cup now!

[quote="BP1":3sarjp8w]One of the problems last night, I thought, was that Thaler and the replay operator seemed to be on a different wavelength every time they went to the screen. Thaler would be asking for one angle and the opposite would appear. Every decision seemed to go through this tortuous process, and when they did finally arrive at the best angle Thaler then proceeded to view it around half a dozen times! Every video call was taking 2-3 minutes at a time. I was amazed at what time it was when the game ended, well after 10pm, more two hours after kick-off. It will feel even longer still when sat inside a cold stadium! The process needs speeding up or half the crowd will fall asleep through boredom![/quote:3sarjp8w] The video ref needs to be given control to the cameras in my opinion. I have 0 idea if that is technically possible. I assume the video ref is somewhere else and not actually sitting in the control room. But if it can be achieved, with some training to all the officials on how to operate it, then it would make things a much quicker process. As you say, it gets tiresome listening to "to back to that last angle. No, the last angle. Now run it back further. And go slower. No, slower! Go back again please. No, back on the play, not back to the last angle"

[quote="Dave K.":17grzd9t]One person is playing hide and seek, showing true colours again,not one post, despite posting every day. 100% would have been here if we had lost.[/quote:17grzd9t] This is just for you and the other ladies who dont like what i post and then complain when i dont. I was actually at the match last night unlike you and most others on here and drove back to Spain last night so had a very late night. Our win was great but unexpected but we rode our luck for 30 minutes then gained our reward with the little possession we had. Clear to see the fitness levels are far higher and our defence was outstanding and we actually had some attacking shape when we did have the ball so its big raps from me to the coaching staff especially whoever was charged with defence. We have two young gems on the wings,and the halfbacks with Asiata clearly showed what we have been missing there. All the players played a part.Ligi Sao deserves a mention as does Lane for his non stop defence and workrate. As for next week we are screwed now in the second row,Just cant see Holmes putting a run of games together. Good night for the club and fans, lets not get carried away but at least we can see that with good defence and structure we can keep in games without been blown away