Re: Joel ( tantrum ) Tompkins
Posted: Mon Sep 13, 2010 2:27 pm
It is fair to say that the Huddersfield match showed teams how to "beat" Wigan. Not with free flowing rugby or a brilliant game plan, just simply playing to the extremities of the rules. In that match they showed with the constant removal/obstruction of the support players, how to defeat Wigan.
Combined with referees that either refuse to have the confidence to continually penalise one side for this, or even at all, we are left with Wigan having to "out-dog" our opponents.
TEW made a very good point in the build up to the match - about who our most dangerous opponents. The simple facts are that Wigan are easy to kick from their own game-plan and intimidate into giving stupid penalties/mistakes away at crucial stages of a game. Wigan at home are our most dangerous opponents with the pressure to perform imo!
The undoing of this team was caused early season with the furore over wrestling techniques from most coaches, which now sees Wigan heavily penalised for simple infringements, yet opponents are literally taking heads off and stamping/punching/spear tackling our players with little protection.
Combined with referees that either refuse to have the confidence to continually penalise one side for this, or even at all, we are left with Wigan having to "out-dog" our opponents.
TEW made a very good point in the build up to the match - about who our most dangerous opponents. The simple facts are that Wigan are easy to kick from their own game-plan and intimidate into giving stupid penalties/mistakes away at crucial stages of a game. Wigan at home are our most dangerous opponents with the pressure to perform imo!
The undoing of this team was caused early season with the furore over wrestling techniques from most coaches, which now sees Wigan heavily penalised for simple infringements, yet opponents are literally taking heads off and stamping/punching/spear tackling our players with little protection.