NickyKiss wrote:Not sure what it is for but at least there is no ban. I'm surprised that James Vella missed anything, given that he handed out 74 penalties and 23 six agains (it felt like that many anyway). I've never seen a ref as 'on edge' as that ready for the next decision. He looked to be almost shaking with excitement.

Phuzzy wrote:I'm not one for bagging refs too much but Jeez, he was bad! So much so that in the end I was actually shouting at the TV for decisions we got I was so peed off with the sound of his whistle!

NickyKiss wrote:Not sure what it is for but at least there is no ban. I'm surprised that James Vella missed anything, given that he handed out 74 penalties and 23 six agains (it felt like that many anyway). I've never seen a ref as 'on edge' as that ready for the next decision. He looked to be almost shaking with excitement.

Cruncher wrote:If I'm honest, I thought he kept London in the game in the first half.

I'm not saying they didn't take their tries well or that we weren't at fault defensively when they scored, but I thought he gifted them yards and yards of territory they hadn't earned. And he did it time and again.

It was a wipeout in the end, but I feel sure that we'd have got to that a lot earlier with a referee who didn't feel the need to keep blowing up.

NickyKiss wrote:I saw him ref a game a couple of weeks ago and I thought he did well but he just looked on edge on Saturday and so eager to make decisions, be that penalties, six agains or whatever. I was sat in line with the Mago ‘try’ in the first half and there was absolutely nothing wrong with it but he seemed loathed to use the screen early on. I got told he’d called held on it but I can’t hear him say that on the replay, I can just hear the commentators saying he gave a penalty against Mago because the tackle was complete but if he doesn’t call it and Mago was moving all the time, with the ball up, how can’t he turn it down?

Phuzzy wrote:It's almost as bad if he called held anyway NK as that would mean he called held while the player was still moving and the ball clearly still in play.

I couldn't make the game but I was messaging a couple of mates who we normally go to the games with and they had no idea what he was blowing for half the time. Even with the assistance of commentary on TV it was unfathomable. As you say, everyone was giving different reasons for the supposed infringement. Some of the "not squares" and "incorrect play the balls" were laughable. It's a bit of a cliche but it seemed like he'd make his mind up to give a penalty in advance and then fabricate a reason to justify it. It seemed like barely a set of six completed without some intervention from the ref.

sergeant pepper wrote:I said a few posts earlier that it's especially important to call the refs out after such a big win. It then can't be brushed away as sour grapes, or a dummy spit after a continuous loss. Instead it's highlighting, what I believe, is the biggest issue in our sport. The refs and judiciary are absolute t0ssers.

I'm already seeing our so called lack of "discipline" being used a stick to beat the club with. The Wigan Today jouro (McAllister?) included it within an article on things we need to work on. How can you work on the Mago no try? How can you work on not being square, when in fact you actually are? How can you work on not giving a pen away in the tackle when the opposition has a second player in the ruck and he's on top of you?

Every week of this season they've dropped the ball in some kind of way. People will say that it evens itself out & it probably has with the WCC. Is that right tho? Is it really something that we should just accept?