I agree - it wants stamping out. If it's in the rules of the game though - how is it classed as cheating ?

The rules require you to get to your feet and play the ball where you are tackled. Moving off the mark is cheating and refs are failing to enforce the rule.



It doesn't need a new rule or a rewriting of a rule - it simply requires the rules as they are, to be properly applied.

It’s an impossible task the way things are at the moment; every single tackle could be penalised if they were to enforce the rules as strictly as you seem to suggest you want.

Don’t get me wrong I think the ruck is policed terribly at the moment, with the players looking to eek every ounce of an advantage out of every situation & there’s a lot of dishonesty from players wearing every different shirt in SL, but I don’t see how anyone can pick out that one particular ptb/element of the game as though it’s defines the result of the game.

Have to agree that the whole ruck area needs tightening up and it needs two changes.

First of all the ref's need to make the players play the ball from where they are tackled and in the case of last night, the officials need to understand what is going on.

Having said that, experienced players know what they can get away with and it makes the refs job impossible.

When is a player clamped or are they just trying to slow down the ptb.

Players either not making the effort to clear the ruck and there are loads of subtleties on this and generally, the time allowed for players to clear the ruck.

Most fans, just like with off side, believe that their side is getting the worst off the ref but, the officials are stuffed.



There were a couple of shocking calls last night, with the penalty against Lyne being truly baffling.



Also the touch judge on the main stand side not picking up the Cas player in touch and he was less than a yard away.

Thankfully the second one went to the VR and it was clear that his foot was about 4ft over the line before the ball was grounded and yet, had the game not been on TV, that would have been a try.



Maybe we should import some additional refs from down under so that we can have the 2 refs on the field ??

That's nonsense.



It won't take players and coaches any effort at all to clean up their game.



We blame the refs, but the solution lies with the teams.



All refs have to do is apply the rules sensibly - that doesn't mean picking and choosing which ones to apply and who to..

Of course you can.



Last night Lyne is bundled to the ground at the PTB, yet is the one penalised. Then Mata'utia is tackled with Lyne nearest his own line, but is made "offside" by the ball carrier stepping over him to draw a pen - a pen which was kicked for 2 points.



Be clear, I'm not blaming the ref or those incidents in isolation for the loss - Wakey first half performance overall was not good enough - but to say the random interpretations given at the PTB doesn't affect the game is plainly wrong.

What I’m saying is that because the ptb is so open to interpretation it’s impossible to get it right every time. Take the lynne incident you refer to (with Matautia); I don’t agree with your take on it & think the ref got it right. So where do we go from there?

Quite simply, you are wrong. Simply taking a diametric opinion to me doesn't give it any value.



It's a fact that Mata'utia moved off the mark to deliberately "win" a penalty.



Where do we go from there? Well, we expect refs to understand the game well enough to know the difference.



They don't, though, which is why we have error in interpretation.

The only reason that game was lost by Wakey was the inept defence for twenty minutes of the first half, injuries made no difference, you have a squad and if it is not good enough that's your fault, equally refs will always get things wrong, the quality is just not there and probably never will be while ever we are a minority sport. If I were a Wakefield player I would be ashamed of that defensive performance. Not taking anything away from Cas they know how to deal with adversity and did it well.

Watch it again; Matautia is on his back with Lynne underneath him; he regains his feet & plays the ball. He does not step over nor move off the mark. Lynne makes no attempt to clear the ruck, which is his responsibility. Easiest decision of the night for the ref.

Lyne is nearest the Wakefield line, Mata'utia is nearest the Cas line - they should regain their feet in the same position.



Mata'utia got to his feet across Lyne.

What does that even mean?!?

Matautia is entitled to stand & plant his feet where they are. What you seem to be suggesting is that matautia should move backwards, giving up yards he’s earned, to allow Lynne to take up a strong defensive position. That’s fine if you’re dominant in the tackle, but not when you’ve put yourself in a position where the responsibility is on you to clear the ruck. You’re clutching mate.