Quote ="karetaker"Charnley was eventually caught out with the antics and was getting nothing for it but just slowing us down, we have no game plan beyond fast ruck speed so when that’s not working we have no plan B.'"
Agree. At Wigan it was effective. Tomkins mastered the art, and everyone followed suit. Charnley looked like the odd one out with us, and ultimately gathered groans from the stands rather then the oral foaming that you get from Wigan, Saints and the former Leeds south stand (lost its intimidation, through being rubbish and making a fancy new stadium). The pressure on the ref is so intense, everyone is adamant that it’s a penalty, and demand it. And if they don’t get it, the next 50/50 just creates a louder noise, more demand, more pressure.
Catalan got it wrong for years, using that noise to feel aggrieved to segue into unbridled aggression. Whereas the good teams keep that pressure up. The opposition know that one mistake and the whistle goes, they’re under the microscope. The whole thing builds the tension.