They do though because, rightly or wrongly, intimidation is a major weapon in their nal - If you take that away, then you are left with a much less threatening opponent.

When you are on the receiving end its always easy to moan, but if we are being honest then I think we would all like to see our team with a bit of 'nasty' in it - A team, that when it is seemingly struggling, can motivate themselves together and simply go out and bully themselves back into a game.... As Lefty says, at the moment we seem very weak in the face of adversity, a couple of tries against us and suddenly certain players seem to go missing.

Wigan's tactics may not please the purist, but in my opinion, their second half performances, both last night and in last season's Grand Final, showed what a great motivator Shaun Wane is.... Both matches were won on the back of Wigan simply wanting it more (and aided by unfortunate injuries to us) and though we might complain that it isn't the way we want the game to be played, I don't believe we would moan half as much, if it was us handing out the beatings and picking up the trophies.

....and there, Ladies and Gentlemen, we have it in the first sentence.

As much as we hate them, Wigan have the winning mentality engrained in them.
As much as Wane is a irksome, horrible oaf, he has that win at all costs, doctorine. Personally, I hate that. Win, yes But win by outandout thuggery? NEVER


Wigan are battle hardened by players (and a coach) who've been there. Bar 3 CC wins, we're still a bit "wet behind the ears". We need to be smarter, but not to their level of "smartness". I'm afraid that won't sit too well, with me, Dita's. Win well, but not at all costs.

I hate Wigan's pooh house tactics with a passion. I preferred them, when they had the refs in Uncle Mo's top pocket (and I despised them, then)

I'd have to agree, I'd rather lose with integrity than win by going out to severely handicap or injure your opponents. No, really.

Wires, for several years, have carried the torch and further the cause for entertaining, thrilling rugby. Yes, we might have won at least one GF if we'd been more cynical but this isn't italian football you know, we are English after all,

Anyway, even if I'd been brought up in the shadow of central park and fed pastry since birth I couldn't bring myself to love Shaun Wane let alone his (winning) tactics. He has, as my Grandfather was oft heard to say, a face like a melted wellybob and the dignity of a landfill site. They also have a winger who appears to be having a silly hair competition with Boris Johnson & Ken Dodd, and winning by a distance.

Wires may not make the GF but we'll forever by purveyors of the finest rugby in the land and the most [ihandsome[/i team by a mile.

And no, I haven't been at the port & lemon.

(ಠ_ಠ)

This is my favourite post of all time.

I just love your posts morrisseyisawire.

Wigan deserved to Win. Mcilorum should have walked, dirty sh*thouse late shot, attack to knees tactics don't have a place in our game. All for a bit of biff, just a horrible individual and massively overrated.

Find myself in agreement with most of what you say and the eloquent way you express it but not your self righteous claim about rather losing than not purvey the finest rugby in the land.
We played fine rugby when we had Morley and Gaz at their peak and we still won because we did not get bullied out of games. Both Leeds and Wigan have a plan B when they play us. Against lesser sides they play football because they can win doing that but against us they struggle with just football so in come the dubious tackles, cheap shots, late unexpected collisions, slowed down rucks etc. They stretch the rules to the maximum but get away with it. As a result, in big games when the money's down, we allow ourselves to be bullied out of the game.
Given the status quo where these tactics are permissible, as I have said before, you have to fight fire with fire and have the personnel to neutralise the McIlorums of this world. You can do this without losing the will to play open, attractive e rugby.

Are we still linked with FFMM? Is he a fierce player?

Was supposed to be until Sam Burgess put him on his arris. Don't know much about his current form.

Unfortunately, because of the teams refusal to play a more composed & conservative style of rugby in previous rounds ,we have been left in a situation where Thursday game mattered. The inclusion of a plan B in some of the stupid games we have thrown away this year would have left a big enough gap between ourselves & Wigan to have made the game irrelevant.

Whilst I hate the Wigan dirty tactics what confuses me is we know they are going to do it to us, so in the true spirit of the game "Let's do it to them". Every time Mickey Cackybumbum get the ball he should be hit hard, high to the body and bang on the knees. Remember, prevention is better than cure.

There are 2 reason why we lost to Wigan................

The injury to Ben Harrison & the injury to Chris Bridge. If they had not been injured then we would have won the game no doubt.


Not bothered about the result now, I just want Ben (X2) & Bridgey back playing ASAP.

If we get the Ben's back along with Bridgey and no more injuries then I am confident of doing well in our upcoming games.