Any player who causes 4 injuries in one game needs to have his technique looked at. If he wasn't actually breaking any current laws then there needs to be consideration of a change of law and quickly.

It strikes me (no pun intended) that it's simply a variation on a cannonball tackle and as such should probably treated the same and outlawed.

Thing is would he be giving this interview if the roles were reversed and it was Leigh players injured by a St Helens player?

"What we've got to consider here when making decisions not to charge players who are tackling in that manner, is that we give the green light for coaches and players at all levels - Super League, Championship, League One, academy, scholarship, women and, dare I say, the community game - for players to be able to tackle like that.

"As I sit here now as someone who loves rugby league, that doesn't sit with me well."

He could have continued to take this up with the RFL/MRP privately instead of running to the press.

I do think he had the safety of his players in mind but it comes across as moany to other clubs and to his own club its a rallying call look what we are up against, why is it always us, seige mentality.

I want to see any sort of dangerous tackle banned but I'm not sure whinging to the press is the right way to do it.

Wellens is moaning, and was wrong to go to a press video, and for me, he's brought the game into disrepute. How do you time a tackle around the legs when a player is still moving? If we want to eradicate this, we have to eliminate tackling below the waist. In fact, (sarcasm), let's just make it tag rugby.

its utterly ridiculous from wellens... are we going to say you cant tackle a man around his legs now, in case he gets injured?

It's just the ramblings of a man on the verge of losing his job.

You're completely wrong on the tackles themselves. The technique is horrible. They were not standard tackles and they were not in any way using a technique Leigh will be coaching the players to use. He's lowered his bodyweight, turned his shoulders and driven at the knee joint. It's malicious and incredibly dangerous, as we saw with the four injuries he caused in one game.

I get you defending Asiata and Leigh in general, I do. But he needs to stop using that technique, it's that simple.

To be honest the MRP are really not fit for purpose. The Miski/French tackle was a lot worse than the Shorrocks one was iin my opinion. Reading the minutes for everyone mentioned in this week’s minutes it reads like the MRP are making excuses for some, the one that annoys me most is the camera angle does not show enough but you are screwd if you are a tv game as there is more coverage. That in its self is unfair. I think some of what Wellens as said about the processes he as a point.

I think the reaction to the tackles would have been entirely different had a St Helens player made them, and I think you know it would. The technique was horrific, whether it's legal or not and injuries are almost guaranteed from it, whether it's the ball carrier or the tackler himself. It would have been a different story entirely if it was the other way round.

If the tackles happened in a game not involved Saints, they would have been widely condemned. Because it's Saints and because of the grievances people have over Knowles and the appeal and general hatred of all things Saints, everything changes.

As for Wellens, there isn't a coach in the game that wouldn't speak out if a player injured FOUR players in one game with at best horrifically reckless technique and the RFL simply ignored it. He has to speak out.

The RFL have to be incredibly careful and their reaction has been utterly pathetic. Now the technique has been brought to light and the clear danger it brings to the welfare of players has been highlighted, if a player does another one before the season is out and the injury caused retirement or permanent disability, the RFL would be wide open for litigation. They could and should have handled it far better than they did, which would have prevented Wellens needing to speak out. The response Wellens got from the RFL was 'we aren't going to take any action, we aren't going to review the medical records from the injuries and we aren't going to take any further action'. What do you expect Wellens to do when faced with that? What they should have done is called Asiata in when they decided it wasn't covered specifically in the current rules and warned him on his technique, reminded him of his duty of care to tackle in a manner that isn't likely to cause injury. They could then have released a statement confirming the lack of a charge, explaining the caution on his technique and stating they would review the technique and make law amendments as required. The situation would then have been resolved and Wellens wouldn't have needed to speak out.

The RFL have put the sport in a ridiculous position. Saints v Leeds this week, if Morgan Knowles charges after the kick off, throws his shoulder through a Leeds player's knee and snaps his leg into an L shape, what happens then? It's not a penalty, there would be no ban and no one would call it out in the press afterwards?

I need medical help but I agree, up to a point, with Saddened. We'd be up in arms if Bullock and Vaughan's seasons were ended and two other players were injured by the same player in the same match. Injuries happen of course but 4? His technique has to be looked at. We know Saints like a whinge (understatement) but I think they're justified on this occasion.

Was this justified? https://twitter.com/DevlinDaryl/status/ ... 7519563779

Was this justified? https://twitter.com/DevlinDaryl/status/ ... 7519563779

Whataboutery - we could be here forever. I agree with Saddened in that, regardless of whether Asiata's tackle was malicious or not or illegal or not, if any team succumbed to 4 injuries (2 serious) from the same player in the same match then the coach would have SOMETHING to say. We can agree/disagree with how, when, what they would say but they would ALL say something. Calling into question a player's technique after such an occurrence is not that hard to fathom.

I'm not condoning foul play at all,so just forget about that, but...........He was asking for injuries not to be taken into account a while ago, now he's asking for them to be taken into account now it's his players injured. His hypocrisy stinks.
BTW - Are you insinuating that Asiata has deliberately gone out to injure a player? If so, that's mental.
Wellens job is on the line with the prospect of no silverware, and for me he's brought the game into disrepute.

No I’m not insinuating anything. But I get a coach comes out making comments when it’s his players and yeh I get coaches say nothing when it’s not their players. Again I say the MRP are not fit for purpose if what Wellens says about providing information on injuries to affect the outcome of disciplinary. Stand to be corrected here but he said in the case of Cooper’s injury medical records were shown he is saying the decision was made before Saints were able to show medical evidence. If that’s true then that’s bad by the MRP/RFL. I’m not having a pop at any team or coach it’s about what look like inconsistencies from the RFL