To me, the only reason they slowed the play the ball down is because we got slaughtered at the World Cup and this was used as the excuse, and as usual we decided to copy the NRL's way of doing things. Well, we are already behind, because the play the ball over there is as quick as ever with two referees in charge. 60-0 drubbings for England anyone?

The current enthusiasm for slowing the play the ball down will be blown out the water when the Oz boys come across and murder us with their lightening quick ptb.

Not sure who's reffing the games, but if we do get an oz ref we'll be penalised out of the game.

Difference is their fast ptb is often about getting the ball out to first receiver and then fast hands rather than scooting for soft metres

Maybe it needed to slow down for it to speed up again? I dunno really. It's certainly a lot harder to scoot for metres in the NRL regardless of how fast the ptb is.

Changes around the ptb have exposed Roby in exactly the same way England were exposed at the world cup;

Attacking threat based all around fast ptb and scooting and no real class in quality and speed of passing the ball from dummy half.

Roby now is seen as what he is: a good committed solid RL player, tackles well, runs hard, doesn't take a backward step, good team player, but no superstar, and not someone who is going to control a game or who you can build a team around.

The refs have enough problem making it ten meters when the lines are their to help them. It would have been foolish to confuse them with a digit that required they used some form of intelligence.

Interesting that, much has been made of Saints experienced players coming up with dumb plays in the GF that lead to points, but I've seen very few people slate Cunningham for possibly the dumbest of the lot that handed the lead back to Leeds.

what have you been smokeing?? Roby is a great kid and i think when the time comes he will step in to KC's shoes but we look a far better team when cunningham is the pitch END OF!!!!


i think KC and roby have made more runs from dummy half to try and get that roll for the rest of the set, but when the refs are letting defenders have a little nap in the tackle it wont look at deverstateing as past years but roby still has it and when that defance is slow getting back so see how quick he is

We have gone from one extreme to another. The game has been dumbed down, because the defensive team requires no skill to keep hold of the player for longer. The majority of slow play the balls aren't because players are wrestling on the floor, or putting the player on his back, or putting more players into each tackle. The referees are just watching on as players don't let the player get up. They even turn around to look at the ref, to see if he is losing his patience.

It is not only boring to watch, its embarrassing.

I am quite happy having slower play the balls, if the defence earns. It has to be fair, and teams have to be rewarded for skill.

A slower game will require teams to do more than scoot and get a back pedalling defence to punch holes in. Hopefully this will bring back talented game opening scrum halfs.

But, it must be a middle ground. Not the rubbish we have been subjected to this season.

I have only seen one NRL game this season, but they seem to have gotten it right. There ruck was fair and no nonsense. You stopped thinking about interference at the PTB, and just enjoyed the game.

We'll have probably gone from not being able to score without a quick PTB to not being able to defend one.

Whatever your thoughts on Roby he would be in the 17 for any team in the league.

Yep. And quite a few NRL teams IMO.

Oddly last time around he had the choice of a load of NRL sides.

He bought a house in Clinkham Wood.