It's only an 8 point try if you are fouled in the act of scoring, in this case the try had been awarded so that's play over. Otherwise where does it end? If the goals is kicked and then a fight breaks out on the halfway line are you going to come back and have another kick?

But regardless you never ever see them these days despite plenty of opportunities to award them.

If you [iseriously[/i think Smith's kick out was a small trip then I don't quite know what to say to you. It was a petulant kick out in a situation where he should be in full control of his actions, deliberate foul play. Ah Van put out his arm as a desperate last ditch tackle, in a split second it can be hard to time your contact correctly. Completely different contexts and situations. Ah Van may have deserved a binning for a bad challenge, but a red for that is ridiculous. We will literally have an average of one sending off a game if that becomes the standard.

In a nutshell, this; and so long as a spineless berk like Child makes every effort to ignore and excuse what they do, nothing will change.

It's a shame that on the opening game of the season, the attention is on the referee - and that said referee has cost Widnes the game. Here we go again...

Cheers, thanks for cluing me in. I did think it was a penalty, I was wrong.

Personally to answer the hypothetical fight on halfway. Then I would if making the rules award a penalty on halfway. I thought it was a shot at goal as a penalty in the in goal area can't be tapped, or kicked to touch.

Teams usually have the option of tap, kick to touch or kick at goal, following a penalty. But that's all hypothetical.

Cheers

He probably classes Flower's punch as a slap or a "bit of handbags".
Classy bunch in Wigan.

If you want to take it away from the Ref. What a performance by Widnes to come from 0 - 16 down and also seems like a big attendance too. Good start to the season.

It was never a red card for Ah Van. You see those types of tackles every game where the player tries to attack the ball carrying arm when he's coming from behind. Caught Charnley on the chin and was unlucky. The motion of the arm was down as opposed to upwards or across Charnley's jaw, which is crucial. Clumsy and just a pen imo.

Matty Smith kicking out was a clear red card. It was not in general play so it makes things worse as his intention is clear. The yellow card was a farce.

Joel Tomkins was just a massive embarrassment. If that was a saints player id be so angry.

You'd think after the grand final you'd look for redemption, but kicking players and starting brawls is not a great image for Wigan.

And this is the key thing. I know some posters who'll have reffed will say it's not as easy as it looks and I agree and it can be easy being an armchair referee.....but really tonight it didn't in anyway, shape or form look like a tough game to ref. Yet Child made it look like it was. Almost like a player whose comes through your academy and you have to start asking after a few years "will he ever make the grade".....the same should be asked of Child because he is just constantly poor. I dread the very real possibility of him someday being given a CC or GF to ref.

Fine, a petulant kick out.
I actually think the fact Hanbury(?) celebrated pretty much on Matty Smith's back let Smith off a bit. There is no excuse for that kick but Hanbury was being a dick also.

And there have been much softer red cards than a swinging arm to the jaw of a player possibly about to score a try. The fact it was a desperate tackle doesn't matter - he had the full body to go at, yet he went high with a swinging arm - reckless and it put Charnley out of the game. I don't know why people are underplaying it as much as they are.

Matty smith is a professional rugby player. He should be able to handle someone celebrating a last minute try.

I think the Smith one is like I said, a yellow. Hanbury celebrates, Smith gives a childish kick out, all a bit in the heat of the occasion (which was caused imo by Child reffing so poorly).....the worst offender is Tomkins. Like I said before he ran over like a kid whose had too much fizzy pop to drink charging around and it wasn't the first time. In the first half when the Widnes winger dropped the ball and he and another Wigan player are wrestling for it then Joel feels the need to charge over again.....I thought it was just a case a few years ago of charging over whenever anybody dare lay their hands on his precious Sammy but seems it's any teammate. The guy is a moron who'll end up costing them in a similar manner to Hock or Flower eventually.

Poor form from an ex Saints lad. He's gone native to Thugby League.

And worse still he was a late switch to my fantasy team so that will cost me.