I read the link to your situation a while back, appauling and shame that you no longer want to attend games. As you say the VR intervened on the Moa incident and it's that inconsistency thats as fustrating as anything else or are you saying that there has subsequently been a directive that the VR (off-field official) can no longer intervene? Can the Ref ask the VR for advice on something he has not seen?

No directive that I am aware of, but we should be using the technology for this type of offence. It was (in my opinion) violent play and warranted a red. It is going to take a player getting seriously hurt to prompt a review of this.

Sadly I can see that being true. And no one likes to see a player getting seriously hurt.

Not even Elima

The RFL should change the rules and remove the option to put incidents on report. It's a ridiculous rule anyway as all games are watched back for incidents of foul play and clubs can bring any up themselves. Total cop out option

I hate it when a player is put "on report". How in any way does that benefit the opposition team?! It doesn't, it just benefits the team playing that team the week after?! Surely if a player has done something worthy being put on report then it should be at least worth 10 minutes in the bin?!

Ian Evans the Welsh RU player has just been handed a 12 week ban for a deliberate attempt to injure a player.
Be nice to see the RFL take such a stand.

if they do this should they then look at incidents of foul play as it happens (replay) and have a quiet word with the ref in the earpiece to dismiss the player immediately if its a bad one? that way the player serves part of his punishment against the club he sinned against and not the next 2 or 3 clubs due to face him. if it is not sending off material, they could still invoke the post match disciplinary process

the earpiece thing may already be in covert use, there's no way of knowing

The laws have been tightened up and there is less outright thuggery now than there was in the good old days when "referees were sgt majors" but the powers that be are worried I think about affecting the spectacle of a game if a side lose a player and you get a blow out score. As usual have been weak in defining exactly how and when VR intervention is allowed. Maybe a red card results in that player going off but he can be replaced with a sub? It affects the offending team by giving less rotation but isn't quite as damning if the player is subsequently found not guilty and at least removes the chance of the player in question scoring the winning try/goal etc.

I see Weyman is up for a similar thing on Peacock from the Rovers game.....

I can understand that they don't want too many blow out scores and you're likely to get a more even match if both teams have the same number of players on the pitch but if that's the price the game must pay to clean up some of the bad play we still see in games such as the Elima incident then so be it. Send a message to the players and clubs that immediate punishment will be given and they'll soon learn to cut it out.

Take high shots for example. I recall a game last year (our opponents escape me) where high shots from both sides were being allowed by the ref. He then finally pulled the captains up and warned them to get their players under control and when the next high shot occurred a player was sent to the sin bin. Now on the one hand the ref dealt out a punishment which is great and I believe the high shots calmed down after this but on the other hand the ref should have acted much earlier than he did instead of allowing it to carry on.

Sending a player off ruins a game. The whole point of watching sport is because we enjoy watching sport so ruining an entire game for a single infraction is just too harsh. No wonder refs consistently bottle it.

I think we should have ejections instead of sendings off. On a red card the player must leave the field but can be substituted. Our game is a 17-man sport these days and this would impact the ejected player's team. The player would also go on report and would still face a disciplinary. The game isn't ruined, the player and his side get punished and refs might have the confidence to do it.

...an opportunity to put a "hit-man" on the bench.

So we go from protecting players and outlawing the shoulder charge to allowing thuggery to go unpunished (all be it with a penalty) to save the spectacle of the entertainment? Or am I reading this wrong.

Now I have watched RL for many seasons and I can tell you some of the best performances / games I have seen came when sides were uneven. Castleford away in the 80s two off we won. Halifax first game at KC two off we won. GB Australia when Morley was sent off after first tackle. Moa off vs London the list is endless. Adversity came have a galvanising effect both on a pitch and in the stands.
What really spoils the spectacle is when we see Lilly livered officiating which frustrates teams and spectators alike.
Foul play is foul play. If it warrants as is likely a 3 - 5 match ban then it warranted a red card. 5 officials failed to act. If we had a bigger pool of officials I would suspend them all as well. Maybe that's part of the problem.

For me though unlike the Sgt majors of yesteryear the refs are far too pally with players and as a result fear sending them off. (Just my feeling here). All this first name calling to players and general chit chat. May be deemed man management but it does not get respect.
Let's get back to number 8 get back, red 22 you are off side etc. not Jamie Jamie can you get back etc...

I want to see a good clean contest played within the spirit of the rules and those stepping out of line punished there and then and if need be suspended further down the line if it warrants it as well.

Finally. Now we have relegation if we are NOT to send players off (I am only going by what's on here) if we have a situation where Side A need to win to avoid relegation against side B and there is serious foul play against Side A but no sending off and subsequently side A lose in a close contest, what then? Yes it might balance out over a season but where is the justice for side A.
Get the cards out and if it costs a club so be it. They have to control their players. And while we are at it get the VR to assist. Make him earn his brass with brave decisions not just ones about how to restart play.

Superb post.