Just watched it too. I can't believe the stupidity of the players involved, particularly so close to a World Cup. They all deserved to be punished. However it seems Hock has received the worse punishment for missing the swim as well as being made an example of. He can't have any complaints though, shouldn't have been drinking and he wouldn't have missed the swim.



He needs to forget about it now and concentrate on getting himself in shape for next season. He's one of the best in the world on his day.

Well there you go the accusation was accurate.



He missed a training session.



Feelings are what people resort to when the facts don't go with them. He feels harshly done to, well so do most people when they get caught doing 35 in a 30. Does not mean the decision is not correct.



A different coach may well allow things to go, but lets be a little bit honest, if Hock was still a Wigan player (I know technically he still is) he would not have got such reasonableness from people here. We all know he's a numpty, you can't probably get odds on him for incurring a ban at some point next year.



How long did Wigan defend him till they gave up? Maybe he will stick it out at Salford, but I would not be surprised either for the idiot comments to be coming from the Salford fans in years to come.



He's a good stick to beat the rest of the players with, though. I find it amazing that any would go out on the lash a week before the WC. After it's over, they can run around a fire naked drinking and boozing all they like, for all I care. But it shows a lack of professionalism from a few to get drunk prior to the WC. Maybe it needed a shock to one to make all aware that they are supposed to be aiming to win this thing.

On the very night all this is publicised we get another anomaly - [url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/rugby-union/24626491THIS[/url

One law for the rest - one for Gareth Hock.

Little wonder if he feels victimised.

I am delighted the club is supporting him,as demonstrated by Dr Koukash on twitter,despite this error of judgement,although the original rumour(s) of damage and fighting have disappeared,so hopefully he can make up for the loss of individual and team awards in the past,with his future at Salford.

did all the others miss the training session then?



going out for a drink is fine, no problem with anybody doing that.

going out for a drink and missing a session the next morning, that is a problem.



Don't miss the point as well, it's the attitude that's the genuine problem. Hock is implying that missing a swim session isn't important - well sorry old cock but that's exactly the attitude players in the England squad can't afford to have.



We won't win this world cup by the players missing training sessions that they feel are inferior to a night on the p1ss.



His attitude is clearly wrong, get a guy in who is prepared to act professionally. Good decision.



He can go out whenever he wants for the next month now

Could this situation have been handled better by Steve McNamara? Following the embarrassment of losing to Italy and publicly criticising the attitude of his own players he then washes England’s dirty washing out in public and opens a real can of worms as to who the other six players are?



I’m not condoning Hock’s mistake but surely it would have been better to just not play him against Australia and keep the incident private.

possibly, although on the other hand, it might open the floodgates to more rumour and speculation???

Feel a bit sorry for him, actually.



He's been kicked out for sleeping in by half an hour.



Before anyone says it was for the drinking, it can't be as the other six or seven players that did it are still in the squad. It sounds like half the team were fed-up with slipping-up to Italy and went out for stress relief. Been made a scapegoat imo.



It does highlight a severe problem with the ability of McNamara as a coach to man manage correctly. Hock is quite popular among the squad and the already small amount of respect McNamara garners will be blown away now.



You can harp on all day about professionalism this and that with players. National pride and all that. But if the players are not happy with anything then no amount of National pride will make a team gel.

Not as much as this way has done.

If McNamara had chosen his words wisely then it would have easily been washed over. It's not like Hock was first name on the teamsheet was it?

you can't just miss sessions that you don't think are important and expect it o be fine cause you're one of the popular kids

I guess so....



Like you say, we are full of good 2nd rowers - Westwood and George B are the two big hitters really. And if Farrell is on the bench then that's fine by me.



If we don't win the world cup, it won't be cause hock wasn't playing. The Aussies would find him out, and I can guarantee it hasn't gone unnoticed by them that he ahs the potential to be a penalty machine

Can't agree with the top bit saying he's a scapegoat. If all the others involved turned up for the training session then why should he get away with not turning up? People who get caught doing 35mph in a 30mph zone almost always feel hard done by but they've definitely done wrong. So has Hock.



Definitely agree with the very bottom bit though. Pride in the shirt only gets you so far. As does talent and application.

IF we don't win the world cup?! I think it's pretty much a given that we wont!