I know all the focus is on the alleged tackling techinque being 'not in the spirit of the game' (M.Potter-post Good Fri game) ... but what has been failed to be mentioned is that we have scored 40 more points than the nearest team Warrington & 61 more than the so called Entertainers Saints ... Team P W D L F A PTS 1 Wigan 10 9 0 1 350 128 18 2 Warrington 10 8 0 2 310 124 16 3 St Helens 10 7 0 3 289 184 14 news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_l ... efault.stm Should coaches not stop whinging on about us 'strangling' the game & concentrate on how to stop us in attack??

I know all the focus is on the alleged tackling techinque being 'not in the spirit of the game' (M.Potter-post Good Fri game) ... but what has been failed to be mentioned is that we have scored 40 more points than the nearest team Warrington & 61 more than the so called Entertainers Saints ... Team P W D L F A PTS 1 Wigan 10 9 0 1 350 128 18 2 Warrington 10 8 0 2 310 124 16 3 St Helens 10 7 0 3 289 184 14 news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_l ... efault.stm Should coaches not stop whinging on about us 'strangling' the game & concentrate on how to stop us in attack??

Early days and we have Quins on Saturday . . . .

And we have them 2 weeks later

from the teams we have both played.

Wigan Saints
Castleford 36-22 52-18
Warrington 22-20 28-18
Crusaders 38-6 37-30
Hull KR 32-6 24-28 (saints lost)
Wakefield 54-14 22-16
Catalans 58-0 42-12
Bradford 20-22(wigan lost) 38-6
Hull FC 48-24 12-32 (saints lost)

in the 8 games wigan aggregate score is 308-114
saints score is 243-160

so wigan have scored 65 more points and let in 46 less. so i dont think you can argue that saints have played harder sides thats why we have scored more.

in addition, the two teams wigan have played that saints have been leeds and saints themselves, the two top sides of that last 5 years. saints have played Huddersfield and wigan, two sides that are on the up and looking to break the saints-leeds lead.

i would say that the first 10 games for each side have been very equal, so it is nice to see we are ahead on points, points scored and better off on points against.

My my - you are a touchy lot arn't you - especially considering your league position. I think he raises a fair point about the slowing the PTB down - more a comment on the way the game is going in general than about just Wigan. Wakey, like most other teams this year are adopting this 3 - 5 men in a tackle technique, and I agree that it is making for a poorer spectacle and something that needs addressing.

Maybe his comments about the atmosphere were a bit petulant, but be fair, the man has just watched the fruit of all his recent labours turned into an absolute drubbing for his team and a fair few of you lot have agreed the atmosphere wasn't at its usual standards.

Re the supposed instructions to the subs - I have been told by a few coaches to go out and "give teams hell" or words to that effect - and wise words as well for a prop forward, you want him to go and get physical, that's what he's there for. I doubt he meant "go and take their heads off" - again just a bit of paranoia creeping in here I feel.

Anyway no matter its done now, GL for rest of season - looking forward to having someone other than leeds at the top come the end of the season.

The issue re. the atmosphere was pretty well the cheapest of cheap shots. The polish was taken off the second half for most Wigan fans, as there was widespread concern about the injury to Roberts. In addition, the game was over by half time. It's human nature that you're not going to celebrate wildly under those circumstances. Kear is long enough in the tooth to know that and, given his track record of graciousness and intelligent comment, I'd have expected something a lot less churlish from him.

And I still don't get it about Wigan games being a poorer spectacle. From a Wigan fan's POV, the action was fast, smooth and exciting; we're currently scoring some of the most spectacular tries that we've seen from our team in the last ten years. And even in the games when we're not running away with it - Warrington away for example, Saints away - you can hardly say those were boring affairs.

You've got to forgive us if we sound a bit cynical that these complaints about 'boring rugby' seem mainly to be coming from coaches whose sides we've just thrashed.

The funny thing is is that if some of the idiots accusing us of 'lying on' actually watched our tackling techneque they would see we're actually up and off the tackle a good second earlier than most teams.....thats what makes it frustrating seeing all the penalties given away for 'lying on' as the referees are playing up to the media and coach bashing of wigan.

What we actually do to slow the attack down is dominate the tackle areas and ruck and manouver the man as he is actually GOING down in the tackle, into a position whereby he is either on his back, or facing sideways, and so the ptb actually takes the ATTACKER longer than it usually would as he isnt in a natural position to jump back up and PTB. Thus giving the defensive line more time to get back LEGITIMATELY, because simply we have DOMINATED the ruck!! Its great play and as far from CHEATING as you can get- just excellent defensive RL.

Ironically if every team in SL did this we'd actually have a league we could be proud of like the NRL, where it actually takes skill to score rather than relying on the defensive failings of other teams!!

Youd think that the supposed SL coaches would realise this rather than crying that we lie on!!!

We're actually up off the tackler once the tackle is complete faster than the majority of teams beacause we are also phyically fitter than most, which again is why we are dominating the ruck areas!

Its simple RL played well, as are all of the tries we're putting on. Coaches like John Kear have gone down massively in my estimation. Always rated him as a decent coach but he just sounds like an idiot!

Don't know if it's been mentioned already put Paul Cullen made an interesting comment on Boots'n'All tonight , he said Wigan are only doing what every other coach is trying to do, but better , if they were doing anything illegal then they would be being penalised out of the game and they aren't and you can be sure that Stuart Cummings band of Refs would have been studying the tapes of tackling techniques...Also he mentioned that Wigan were already 6-0 up before they had completed a tackle against Wakefield so it wasn't anything to do with the tackling which put Wakey on the back foot (or words to that effect)

Cullen got it spot on.

The media and other coaches are going to bang this drum, because they are scared to death of Wigan returning to the top.

We scored 54 points against Wakefield, and at least two of those tries will be in the top ten tries this year.

Coaches of other teams are starting to realise that they have failed to capitalise during Wigan's period on the down and now they realise that they have missed out now that Wigan are on the up again. Sour grapes, period.

Are you for real? They are banging the drum because they are questioning whether it is in the spirit of the game (personally I think it does make for a poorer spectacle but if it's within the rules then fine) not through any fear of Wigan rising to the top and creating the sort of stranglehold you used to have on the game - Salary cap has put paid to that sort of thing.

IF we are playing boring rugby why are we top of the points chart and 2nd in defence, its not like we are winning games 12-6

weve scored the most points and have the 2nd best defence so how you can come up with it being a poorer spectacle is beyond me! the only reason i can see for you saying this is because you were on the recieving end of a beating from us.