I do enjoy seeing us line up with decent ball-playing, rugby-brained back-rowers - it separates us from the animals.

Saying that, it's pointless bringing a knife to a gun fight.

There's an obvious benefit to having players who are not afraid of putting it up 'em, especially against a team like Wigan.

The scuffle and his actions didn't cost us anything. We conceded 2 tries against 12 men when we had 13. That's what needs addressing.

So what if he cops a ban? We have deep enough cover in the forwards, and resting his old bones for a few weeks will serve him well later in the season.

Looking at total penalties conceded over the last 5 years (a rough yardstick of a player's discipline and how much their team gets penalised in games for it), and given Westwood's role in the team, is he such a liability?

1 - Liam Watts - 105
2 - Jon Wilkin - 103
3 - Paul McShane - 102
4 - Chris Hill - 98
5 - Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook - 90
6 - Danny Brough - 86
7 - Adam Milner - 85
8 - Luke Gale - 83
9 - Chris Houston - 81
10 - Danny Houghton - 77
11 - Danny Kirmond - 77
12 - Mark Minichiello - 76
13 - Liam Farrell - 76
14 - William Isa - 76
15 - James Roby - 75
16 - Jamie Jones-Buchanan - 74
17 - Ben Westwood - 74
18 - Logan Tomkins - 73
19 - Jack Hughes - 73
20 - Kruise Leeming - 71
21 - Marc Sneyd - 71
22 - Remi Casty - 70
23 - Mike McMeeken - 70
24 - Sean O'Loughlin - 70
25 - Lloyd White - 70

Lol

I know this thread is about Westwood but whenever there is a bit of a dust up in a game I look at who takes the next carry.
More often than not it is Ryan Atkins and he did it again on Friday. I know he dropped a bomb with they try line begging but it takes some bottle to do that - especially a centre wwhen you would expect a front rower to be taking that carry.
I take my hat off to him. I would be at the back of that queue.

Unless we get a few injuries to the forwards i don't think we'll see Akauola more than a handful of times this season before we get rid at the end of the season. Smith Bought him and Price clearly isn't a fan of him.
As for Benny fair enough he had a brain fart and threw a head at Escare, but for some reason most people seem to forgot or have not seen him get hit in the side of the head by him. I don't think it was intentional as he was jumping up to grab him but he did in fact connect right to the side of his head. Now in the middle of an aggressive scuffle adrenaline is going and as far as benny would have been concerned at little turd just punched him in the side of the face.
Stupid move the headbutt but ahh well poop happens.

Stupid and paying the price. But we have enough cover and Ben can never do anything to tarnish his legacy in my eyes. He didn't have use of his arms when Escare cheap shotted him, I've no doubt that if they weren't tied up he'd have put one of them into frenchies face, as it were the only thing he had to teach him a lesson was his forehead.

I think we will see him over / just after Easter to spread out the playing minutes a little. He needs to take that chance though, as It doesn't look like he will get many this season I agree.