RG I agree under the laws of the game contact to the head should be Red card, however I think I'm right in thinking it says deliberate contact and as a few of the sky team pointed out last night that was not deliberate. Poor technique yes but not deliberate, yellow card and on report for me. But if it is contact to the head = red card how come when Logan Tomkins I think hit Mellor around the head in the 2nd half it was not a red nor a yellow? The way he swung his arm he was always going to hit the back of Mellors neck and then ride up onto his head, if Mellor was facing that swinging arm it would have hit him right across his throat and gone up into his face and the Sky team and everyone would have being going ballistic but apparently just because he had his back to it and it hit the back of his neck first it is deemed OK pen to Widnes? I bet if Ah Van's tackle is slowed right down his arm hits Charnley's shoulder a micro second before the hand or forearm hits his chin will that be taken into account as you read every week at the disciplinary 'hit shoulder, or arm or back before contact with head is made, sending off sufficient or 1 game etc.'.

Smiths kick out was deliberate and Tomkins running around looking for someone to hit was a joke, Smith should have been straight red and Tomkins possible red but defo a yellow but nothing. TJ then tells ref Smith has been berating him behind the sticks so he bins him for a bit of lip not assault?

But like you say there were more incidents that were so obvious that just was not picked up by the ref and his team it shocking. Sean O on the first tackle had the Widnes player around the throat and it was just ignored second half the ref defo did his best to even up the penalty count IMO some right some wrong. Unfortunately this is just something all teams will have to put up with as some of the refs have no idea what they are doing.

I will be amazed if Smith gets anything for the deliberate kick on Hanbury, provoked or not that is way out of line and like someone says if he did it earlier in the game then he should be punished even if just 1 match. I expect them to come out with picture doesn't really show enough to make a decision no case to answer, Tomkins will not even be cited. But Mellor probably will be even though it was O'Carroll who pushed (nothing in it) SO.

Great game for viewers to get the season underway, another easy one next week up at Headingly.

As a neutral I can't understand what has gotten into Matty Smith and Liam Farrell, they ought to get back to what they do best, skill moves not apprentice thugs.

Well the ref was a joke but for gods sake get real I was brought up to believe wigan were a team that played entertaining football , and that last night was a joke . Yes I am a Widnes fan , and proud to be one , but my old man taught me to appreciate quality on the field and he would have to admit that last night Wigan played like thugs rather than the quality ball players they once were and with a decent ref on the field who knows what could have happened .

Not a soft yellow in my book.
A ban of 1/2 games should come Smiths way.

And the same for Tomkins.
He pushed his own player our of the way in order to "tackle" the Widnes player who was celebrating their try.
Needless and idiotic.

Not quite right.
Hanbury celebrated and got in Smith's face (all fair enough. A bit of sledging is fine with me).
Smith kicks Hanbury who doesn't react and just mutters something and rightly walks off to celebrate with his team mates.
Joel, like a giddy school kid spoiling for a fight, is bouncing around towards Hanbury until he see's Phelps come jogging in to have a go at Smith for kicking out.
Tomkins then nails Phelps.
Result = Tomkins and Smith both act like petulant school children.
All a bit embarrassing from two senior players.

Smith taking a petty swipe at Hanbury is more dangerous/thuggish than Ah Van knocking out Charnley and giving him concussion?

Other than the scene at the end which I think everyone can agree was petulant and stupid from Smith/Tomkins, what are the other incident in which Wigan players acted as thugs?

Again, laughable. If tackling a player to the floor, pinning him down, but not throwing any punches is worth a red or even yellow in your book then you're watching the wrong game petal.

Smith should be banned for petulance/stupidity, but again, what he did wasn't dangerous in any way, just unsportsmanlike. The fact of whether or not it was a yellow or a red for Smith is irrelevant as there was less than ten mins to go and he will still receive the same ban from the panel regardless.

Hey JW I'm all for rough and ready rugby, hit on Brown by your player resulting in him having to leave the field not to return nothing wrong with it and few hits from your players on our kickers again most OK, but the odd 1/2 were late or avoidable IMO so not OK. Ah Van on JC high shot and not acceptable, certainly not deliberate again IMO, red card for me I will take but no ban or 1 game at most and told to improve technique. It's a tough sport and players get hit, all part and parcel. Ah Van should have been going under the arm / shoulder rather than over the top as that technique could lead to head shot as it did but all happened in live play with ball in motion / play.

However Tomkins attacks a player when the ball is dead and for absolutely no reason as all Phelps has done was go and have a word with Smith for kicking Hanbury, phelps was not pushing Smith nor did he have his hands raised. He runs from 20 metres away to get involved and we and others have had players in the bin for doing this and being the cause of the brawl / melee because they are seen as the cause of the problem. So Both Smiths and Tomkins decisions to do what they did where out of context with what was going on IMO and they should both know better and to walk away unpunished is wrong so both should be banned for 1 game at least.

Just because he hugs him and puts him on the deck doesn't mean it is OK and acceptable.

Ok, sorry for the tone of my original post. I agree with most of what you say here. I just don't think J. Tomkins should get a ban. Smith should get at least 2 games for being a moron.

The Tomkins tackle was odd, but it defused what could have blown up. I think a slap on the wrist, not a ban.

Ah Van, if he go sending off sufficient I really struggle to see that Smith would be banned. An attack to the head is rather more serious.

When it comes down to it i feel it was a combination of frustration and petulance. Wigan got away with murder for 60 minutes and then all of a sudden they get penalised for every minor transgression which they do not understand because what they got away with before was now deemed to be foul play.

Widnes level things up and Handbury goes to celebrate toward the crowd. He decodes to veer to another patch of crowd and realises Smith is in his way and they bump slightly, Handbury turns to congratulate his player and by this point Smith thinks Handbury purposely pushed into him so he turns round and in retaliation swings a kici at him. Has to be a red for me. If Ah Van see's red for a clumsy hit then Smith has to for deliberately making a foul play of that nature.

Why would it make any difference if it was red or yellow for Smith?

Great to see that we are still a team of cheating, useless, thugs.... And there was me, worried that we had lost our way...

Because for one, has it actually been worked out what Smith was yellow carded for? There is a dispute as to whether it was for the original kick or for berating the touch judge while he was behind the sticks. If the latter then he hasn't even been penalised for the offence.