People need to get a grip. What's Flower did was stupid but you could say the same about Burgess. One bad knock and he could have been blinded in be eye. Flower needs to apologise and take his ban. Then we can all move on.

don't forget ZH's homophobic abuse of an official.

I think that the only way too dissociate Benjamin Flower's thuggery from British rugby league is to inflict a severe penalty on the perpetrator. A six month ban would seem to be the absolute minimum, though perhaps only a one year ban is likely to have an effect on both players behaviour and the game's public image. But to have the desired effect on public perceptions of rugby league in Britain, the penalty needs to be severe and well publicised.



Ian Lenagan has been silent on this matter. I am sure that he is appalled by Flower's behaviour and is hoping that the RFL will take the appropriate action.



As for the NRL it is worth remembering that James Graham was responsible for Samuel Burgess's injury, and he later not only pole-axed George Burgess, but also knocked unconscious another Souths player, Dave Tyrrell. He didn't do anything as openly disgraceful as Benjamin Flower did, but he demonstrated a capacity for ruffianism that did no good for the game's image, not unlike his biting of William Slater's ear in 2012. So rugby league in Australia also has a rough image.

Shut the feck up bobhead, some people just can't get over it.

Without the Flower incident, the final would've gone unnoticed by 95% of the country, now it's only gone unnoticed by 85% of the country. At least some people have heard of the sport of Rugby League now I guess.

That's ok then. Maybe we should have a half time decapitation for sky games to increase viewing figures.

Never heard of him, do you mean David Tyrrell?

Ben Flower will be punished and Rugby League will move on at all levels.

It's a shame as I thought the RFL did a great job in the organisation and the fans were great, I had goosebumps and my team were not even involved. And the James front man walking around the stadium was a nice touch.



Just a shame was totally ruined by an idiot two mins later

Indeed. He is the gentleman to whom I was referring.

If you think Graham led with his head intentionally then you are a class A idiot. Nobody anywhere has suggested that he did it intentionally.

No such thing as bad publicity.

Exactly. Never has the the phrase 'get a grip' been more appropriate. Ben Flower is now apparently single-handedly responsible for the forthcoming demise of Rugby League. It's comical, it really is. These sort of things never do the damage the armchair loonies predict. Anyone remember a certain Eric Cantona? According the logic of some posters, it's a wonder soccer still exists.

He punched an unconscious man on the ground? Wow, missed that - he was even more of a nutter than I thought.