Am quite sure that when the "Lilly-Livered, Spineless" disciplinary panel look at this incident, they will find that Lance Hohaia "Ducked on to the Fist"!!!

I just can't see it being so cynical though - I just see it as players being VERY worked up and a little too much adrenaline on display.... Look at Masoe in the opening minutes. He was a headless chicken and if just one of his cheap shots had hit, then he would have probably been seeing red too.

I don't condone Flower, but I'd have been very disappointed if he hadn't lamped Hohaia in that situation... However, Hohaia going to ground sealed his fate. If he stays upright then both get 10 minutes and we have a different final.

Agreed DSM, and who would be worst off for a double sin bin? Saints with their only hb or Pies with their prop?
Sorry that's too easy of a question. Professional foul without question for me.

I agree Wigan will have targeted Hohaia, similar to how we targeted Green last year, and similar to how ALL teams will target any opposing player who will be seen as being a major threat.

However, there is no way the plan will have been to punch him spark out in open view of everybody present - Flower's assault was a total off-the-cuff reaction, which probably even he will never be able to quite explain.... Let's be honest, most props are notoriously known for their short fuses - Flower's was particularly short tonight...

It wasn't an act of thuggery - it was an act of cowardice. No mitigating circumstances, no excuses, no leeway, Punching an opponent when he is prone on the floor and apparently unable to defend himself was a new low in the considerable lows of Wigan thuggery masquerading a tactics.

You could see the way Wigan came out that something was brewing and that petri-dish product of a coach has to take a large amount of blame, due to the way he has been fanning the flames all week. His comments about his hatred of Saints go beyond sledging, publicity and sporting banter and into incitement to violence, Can you imagine TS coming out with some of the incendiary comments he did?

The RFL should dish out a serious ban to Flowers and follow it up with one for Wane for bringing the game into disrepute,

I agree to an extent with this - Wane loaded the gun with his crass comments in the build up, Flower was the unfortunate who fired the bullet... It didn't help the situation that Saints had come out matching fire with fire - The whole thing was an accident waiting to happen.

I still don't believe the tactic was to just carry out an obvious assault though - More likely was that Wane actually wanted to drag Saints into a bit of a brawl and for Wigan to pick them off as they were undoubtedly the better side in a straight 13 v 13... Unfortunately for Wane, it spectacularly backfired.

www1.skysports.com/watch/video/9 ... -final-the kick The bomb is kicked and Flower follows it up and runs towards Hohaia who is pushed over, it stops him covering in defence, the ball comes back to Flower after he has just knocked Lance over, he fumbles it back and Lance shoulder charges him in an obvious retaliation. Flower gets up and smacks Lance and follows it up with a second punch to a defenceless Lance on the floor.

www1.skysports.com/watch/video/9 ... -final-the kick The bomb is kicked and Flower follows it up and runs towards Hohaia who is pushed over, it stops him covering in defence, the ball comes back to Flower after he has just knocked Lance over, he fumbles it back and Lance shoulder charges him in an obvious retaliation. Flower gets up and smacks Lance and follows it up with a second punch to a defenceless Lance on the floor.

I stand by my previous comment - it was assault, and should result in sine die.

He punched a man who was flat out on the floor, what else was it but assault?

The societal mirror is here.

Flowers first cheap shot RL fans will have no issue with.
Hohaia run in forearm RL fans will no issue with.
Flowers first hit, 50% will love 50% won't

Smacking a prone/unconscious player though, no one will agree with that.

I wouldn't be surprised at all if the police got involved a la Duncan Ferguson, it's an absolute shocker. Definitely the worst thing I've ever seen on a rugby pitch (apart from maybe Warren Stevens). I'd agree that maybe Hohaia was targeted by Wane in the pre match plan but Flower just completely lost his head here and will have regretted it almost immediately (and not just because he cost his team the title). Long ban in the pipeline for sure but a lot of it might be covered by Wales internationals?

INOUT

I think there's a very real possibility of him being left out of the Welsh squad as a result of this.