Went to Orrel this morning to watch the yougsters against Wales RL. Both u15s teams had done their warm up and gone back to changing rooms when the ref called off the match due to standing water in the in goal and on the 20 metre line (both puddles a meter or so in diameter). Apparently both teams wanted to play but at the end of the day if the ref says no.....

Surely the ref should have taken in to account the distance the opposition had to travel, the costs incurred to the Welsh team (they stayed in local hotel overnight due to the travelling involved) and the distance travelled by the Welsh lads parents this morning. I have played in much worse conditions myself and if it had been a televised Superleague match you can guarantee it would have been played.

I heard the Welsh u16s coach tell his lads he was putting in a claim for expenses incurred and a complaint about the ref calling off the match which I would wholeheartedly support. Several of the Welsh lads parents said if it was an RU match it would have been played. This is not the way to spread the sport.

surely if both coaches of the teams said it should still be played then the ref should be overuled, i have played on a pitch what was like a swap (and lost a rugby boot in the mud) and im guessing alot of people on here have done the same.

The ref calling any of these games off was a very poor decission. However the Under 16's game did take place after some very hard work by some volunteers and some, dare i say, common sense by the sceond games referee!

Wigan won the Under16's game not sure of the score i think it was 28-10

We have it in University American Football as well, if the Refs or Ground staff say that the game is unplayable, there isn't a thing we can do about it. The league can punish teams for attempting to play against the referees/groundstaff advice, unless the head of the league happens to be in the local area and pops along to check...

We had a game last year away at Aberystwyth postponed 4 days before the game due to the risk of rain wrecking their pitch, not wanting a 5 hour coach trip each way for nothing, on the day it turned out to be blazing sunshine!

because the stags are

Glad to hear the ref for the 16s showed a bit more common sense. The weather also cleared up a bit. Still feel sorry for the Wales u15s lads. Hope the powers that be give the ref a shoeing and he ends up reffing Judes u8s next week.

I know who the ref was and if he says its unplayable then it is, he himself used to play and has been reffing a fair few years now, people above him may have whispered in his ear as well...also the higher the age group takes priority so if the groundsman said that it wont take 2 matches but they might be able to get the second game on then hes right.

They've also got to consider up coming games. Two games may be able to take place at a push but it could ruin the pitch for a few weeks after that.

And the fact the first team train on it!

I read on Twitter that the training ground is to undergo a £2m revamp.