Team warning rule

[markill]

I know the rule isn't new, but does anyone think/know if the application has changed.

In the past it felt like it was more a case of repeated similar offences (lots of high/late tackles or lots of messing around at ruck or lots of offsides) brought about a player going to the bin. Now, as shown last night, it can be anything and everything and anyone that causes the yellow card to go up

This year more than ever, but also over the last two years, it seems to have been the case that refs are looking to get a guy off the pitch after they've lost control of things and a number of penalties build up. Yes, penalties shouldn't be given away and no this isn't sour grapes because we deserved most of the penalties we gave away last night in that 2nd half, but surely sending a guy who hasn't committed a penalty for an offence his team hadn't previously been penalised for is not what the intention/purpose of the rule is? I did moan about this when a similar thing happened in a game earlier in the seaosn (I think Wakey v KR). I just don't think its right.

[Matthew]

It is designed to make it easier for a ref to bin a player - however it's rarely used.

Last night Childs had lost control of the game ad it was looking likely to spill over. The amount of interference that stains got away with was ridiculous. Unfortunately Dudson and a few others lost their cool and started looking for "justice" and it ended up making things much worse. Childs took the easy way out to make it look like he was in control.

I have no doubt that Scott Taylor was fully aware that it was O'Brien that he was about to smash - payback for the blatant ball steal that Childs missed when we were a few inches from the stains line.

Had Childs spotted that and dealt with it, the outcome of the game could have been different. Considering how many verbals were being thrown about, O'Brien may have said something to add fuel to the fire. Taylor shouldn't have taken the law into his own hands; but I have to say that I would have been inclined to do the same.

Had we kept our composure, then we would have probably won - it was clear from the outset that stains wanted to turn it into a slugfest.

[Owd Codger]

Terrible rule as it can result in a player being sent off by a referee giving penalties for nothing. A bit like a player being sent off in football after committing just two non bad tackles or time wasting.

Players should only be sent off for committing vicious foul offence's.

[josie andrews]

Why weren't Saints put on a 'warning' when they made several infringements one after another for which we received the penalties for?

[markill]

I've looked on the RFL website through the rules section (slow day at work!) and I can't see anything that formalises the rules, although all the penalties on Monday that led to us being on a warning were 'misconduct' penalties, then he sends someone to the bin for offside, which is a different category of offence. Still don't see that this is what the rule was designed for. Too much discretion for refs and it results in sin-binnings that are soft.

[Sgt. Bash]

I think the rule is a joke. No matter how a-holeish the Stains players are being, Gil Dudson cannot take the law into his own hands and had he been rightfully sin-binned, we would have been minus a forward (not a disaster) for 10 mins. As it happened, we got a ridiculous "team warning" and a back was effectively sent off (only 12 mins left at the time) for being offside! A total joke that probably cost us the game.

Thanks RFL, we all already knew you love Wire, Stains and Whinos the most anyway. I'm sure 2014 will see the introduction of more stupid rule interpretations designed to screw Wigan over. We're still the kings of rugby though, and we're never gonna stop. Not ever!