Tomkins does this week in and week out. It's a tactic to stop him getting clobbered on that first run in.

Blake Green, Mick Dobson, Jarrod Sammut, Ben Jeffries, Brett Seymour, Daniel Holdsworth, Rhys Hanbury will all be playing SL rugby next year, not because they are outstanding talents but because we arent producing enough players of requisite quality.
There is more than enough space for Gaskell, Lomax and Eastmond in our league when we have imports like the above playing in our league. When we dont need to bring in these types of player we can say that losing players like Eastmond isnt a problem.


But we dont have enough to start with, never mind being able to replace any we lose.

Maybe if we had kept Ashton, we wouldnt need to be giving jobs to Semi Tadulala or Patrick Ah Van?

Ashton was fullback or centre for us, if he had stayed Sam would probably still be in the halves and he would be fullback, then whos he got to compete with for England... erm Wellens? Briscoe?

We can not afford to lose these players.

You keep saying this but you've not given any evidence of it happening. I'm not doubting it, but I can't see why in playoff week Wigan would let their star player be off talking to another club from another sport.

Like CJ says, if he goes from Wigan, I hope it's to the NRL. Personally I hope he stays at Wigan for his career and becomes a great.

From where I was in North Stand I thought he picked up a shoulder injury at the end of the first half. I assumed that was why he was so keen to give the ball to Pat Richards every time he collected it, but if it was a deliberate tactic then I'm a bit perplexed.

I'll join you in that opinion

He did receive physio at the end of the first half, he has a bit of a tantrum with a Saints player too.

is this in reference in the bit in the first half when he ran sideways about 30m.... and then jumped on the floor to avoid being tackled?

I thought that was illegal.

Voluntary tackle isn't it? Should have been a penalty, ridiculous that it wasn't given.

No, it's a surrender tackle. Look it up.

last time i saw someone do something as blatant as that was Gallagher... the famous all black that signed for Leeds... he fielded the ball... saw someone running at him and jumped on the floor to avoid betting tackled.... he looked perplexed when the ref gave a penalty against him..... obviously its allowed in union.

maybe Tomkins was just practising.

Voluntary tackle is where you play the ball without being tackled - Hoffman was penalised for it in the CC Semi.

Going to ground yourself is a surrender tackle.

It wasn't a voluntary tackle, therefore not a penalty. HTH.

thanks for your help.

Any time