Only way that will happen is if any of their sponsors start complaining about any bad publicity linked to their companies?

Have you got a link to where they all condemned it? I've not seen it anywhere.

I have seen an apology. But nowhere have they said they condemn his actions have they?

'standing by him' is the same as defending him !

Anyone defending him is, imo, as sick as the perpertrator himself!

We may have been crap yesterday but it was OUR crap and our crap was full of HEART!

The crapometer might have been a tad lower had a certain Mr Flower not robbed us of our remaining halfback for almost the whole game.

As crap as you are, collectively you rose above it to win

If Wigan had concentrated on playing rather than intimidating they would have won, which makes them very crap

In the [url=http://www1.skysports.com/rugby-league/news/12196/9513894/super-league-wigan-warriors-boss-shaun-wane-refuses-to-defend-ben-flowerSky report[/url, originally published last night, Wane said [i"I'm not going to try to (defend Flower). It's a red; he's punched him in the head and deserved to go."[/i [url=http://www1.skysports.com/rugby-league/news/12196/9514272/super-league-ben-flower-issues-full-apology-for-grand-final-assault-of-lance-hohaiaLenagan said[/url it was "[itotally inappropriate behaviour[/i." (Those were just th first two results Google threw up, which you could easily have found yourself. I read them myself from facebook links.) All three also apologised to Hohaia, St Helens and the Rugby League community, but I wouldn't expect that to stop anyone on RLFans from claiming the exact opposite. I fully expect you to stick your fingers in your ears and repeat the claim that they all condone it and defend it, but then again you might surprise me.

No it isn't, at all.

Don't be so bloody ridiculous.

No-one has defended that second punch. It was nasty and should rightly be punished.

Standing by him is nothing like defending him. He made a huge mistake, an act completely of character and he will accept his punishment without question I'm sure. His employer, the club, while acknowledging the unique seriousness of the offence have a duty of care to support him throughout. That should then be the end of it.

You, however, are implying that no-one should stand by him. That perhaps he should be sacked, vilified, dumped out of his career altogether at the young age of 26? A player with an excellent disciplinary record, with no track record of similar behaviour? All for one, albeit completely unacceptable, punch?

Given the weight of the consequences and damning worldwide coverage, and bearing in mind the tragic events surrounding depression in ex-RL players we have seen over the years, and the [url=http://www.stateofmindrugby.com/cmspages/'State of Mind'[/url campaign (which I'm sure you're aware of), you really think our entire community should turn its back on him?

That says more about you than anything.

Tone the bias down FFS. Flower has a long history of attacks on halfbacks, as Nathan Brown pointed out on the pitch after the game when interviewed by Tanya Arnold. In defense of him, he's just a victim of Wigan's questionable culture. He's thick and unable to cope with the pressure of facing Saints in a big derby, but if Wane didn't encourage his players to be reckless, perhaps they wouldn't be?

Wigan as a club has let itself down since Maguire got the Wigan job. He brought the questionable tactics, the 'win at all costs' mentality that includes things like the 'snap the pole' motivational posters and initiatives like attacking the knee joints of players held in the tackle and Wane has continued it.

It is simply unbelievable that the RFL haven't acted on the Sky documentary. He's on video telling his players to be reckless and knock players out. Surely, if you take the Cherry and White specs off for a moment, you can see what is wrong with this whole situation?

I think this whole thing is snowballing very quickly and whilst I in no way condone Ben Flower smacking a man when he was star fished on the floor, it is not the worst thing that has ever happened in a rugby match and the whole thing happened so quickly it was probably over before the guy had time to think about what he was doing. I think all these comments about banning him for life etc are out of order. I the heat of the moment in a big game big, players get themselves all revved up and the red mist decends. I do think the RFL need to be strong on the issue though, he should be banned 8 - 12 matches and a proper fine not this £300 bollox that they seem to impose again and again. But I imagine that the morons at Red Hall will find a way to make themselves look more stupid than they already are (He will probably get off as sending off sufficient on the basis that other players have thrown punches this season and not even been sin binned)

...followed by...

You really can't see it can you?

See what? Sadsack's inane ramblings?

I've explained myself quite clearly on here several times. If you have a post of mine you disagree with, point it out. Don't just hijack a post from possibly the lamest troll on RLFans.

I'm right. You can't argue with it can you? You've seen the documentary I take it? You've seen how Wane spoke before the GF and you've seen what Flower did. RL is a sport where you need to be physical and aggressive to be successful, but Wigan are taking it too far, crossing the line of morality and respect for the opposition that is the very core of our sport.

Absolutely spot on. Horrible ethos and tactics, delighted they're empty-handed as their reward this year.

For the people who were questioning my still images of Hohaia's attack on Flower last night: https://vine.co/v/OAjJjZ0KjTz

For the people who were questioning my still images of Hohaia's attack on Flower last night: https://vine.co/v/OAjJjZ0KjTz

I will guess with an 8 game ban and the customary £300 fine.

Yes, I can. I've already responded to someone else with a suspect IQ who took Wane's comments literally. I'll paste it below:

It's nothing more than you'll hear in RL dressing rooms every week, talk to hype the team up, get their aggression and intensity going, to dominate physically. And it's a lot milder than some dressing rooms I've been in.

If you think they actually then go out and try to knock people out, you're an idiot, pure and simple.

Tell you what, given that this highly drilled Wigan team are apparently being coached to 'knock people out', they're not doing a very good job. One or two a year at best. Need to up their game.

Quote ="headhunter"For the people who were questioning my still images of Hohaia's attack on Flower last night: https://vine.co/v/OAjJjZ0KjTz'" That video shows beyond a reasonable doubt that Lancelot Hohaia deserved a red card. That said Benjamin Flower deserves a one year ban for his unspeakable cruelty.

Quote ="headhunter"For the people who were questioning my still images of Hohaia's attack on Flower last night: https://vine.co/v/OAjJjZ0KjTz'" That video shows beyond a reasonable doubt that Lancelot Hohaia deserved a red card. That said Benjamin Flower deserves a one year ban for his unspeakable cruelty.

You are absolutely right.

Quote ="headhunter"For the people who were questioning my still images of Hohaia's attack on Flower last night: https://vine.co/v/OAjJjZ0KjTz'" Do you have the clip of the initial incident that incited Hohaia in the first place? Not quite sure why, in your opinion, that Flower is allowed to retaliate for on off the ball challenge on him, but no-one else is. If Flower can't take being hit back then he shouldn't start these things.

Quote ="headhunter"For the people who were questioning my still images of Hohaia's attack on Flower last night: https://vine.co/v/OAjJjZ0KjTz'" Do you have the clip of the initial incident that incited Hohaia in the first place? Not quite sure why, in your opinion, that Flower is allowed to retaliate for on off the ball challenge on him, but no-one else is. If Flower can't take being hit back then he shouldn't start these things.

Huh? If any player was blindsided with an off-the-ball attack to the head then I would expect them to swing back, especially in a derby match. Punching the man on the ground was a step too far but the first punch was fully justified. And what Flower did initially (shoving Hohaia while chasing a kick) in no way justified Hohaia chasing after Flower in order to smash him in the jaw. If Hohaia was a bigger man he would have caused serious injury, and then he would be the one being painted as a monster.

Still having trouble with those typos, think you need a new keyboard.

How do you know it was just a little shove though? The only shots there are of that are where the camera is zoomed right out. There's no close up slow motion video of it floating around like the one you linked, so no one knows the extent of it really, no matter what they say.

They were chasing the ball, Hohaia moved into his path and Flower knocked him out of the way. No doubt there was physicality and maybe Hohaia was unhappy with the contact but it obviously wasn't intended as an attack on Hohaia, it was just part of the game whereas Hohaia chasing after Flower to smash him in the jaw clearly wasn't.