Ian Watson says St Helens’ success is tainted by their use of the six again rule

Huddersfield Giants are embroiled in a battle with Leeds Rhinos, Warrington Wolves, Hull FC, Hull KR and Salford Red Devils for a place in the play-offs.

The Giants had a chance to make up ground in the race in a postponed round one fixture against St Helens on Sunday.

But the Giants came up short despite a valiant effort against the Super League and World Champions.

Everything seemed to go against the Giants. They lost Matty English to a yellow card and Joe Greenwood to a red card.

But Ian Watson was also unhappy with the six again rules from St Helens.

“I’d like a little bit of understanding. The rule I hate is that when St Helens kick it to your corner and then just three or four men just lie on top of you all the time to get a six again restart. They did it at least five times off kicks in the first half. They did it again off a seven tackle set. Yeah, we can’t buy a six again,” he said on BBC Radio Leeds.

“Yeah, it’s a bad rule. I said it at the coaches meeting at the start of the year, it needed out ruling and there should be a penalty for that because teams are getting advice trying to get that set start and getting a real control D line.

“That’s not part of the game, the rule is a terrible, terrible rule and needs kicking out because there’s too many teams that are just trying to slow everything down all the time.

“We’re trying to have a quick entertaining game, aren’t we, isn’t that what kind of the mentality of what the six agains were for. Not to keep slowing it down, you give seven tackle sets away and then the players are lying in the rook so your dummy halves are having to handle the ball.”

He even said that the way Saints use the six again rule taints their recent success:

“The way they play is really good and I can’t knock them because they are a champion team in what they do. I like them when they just play the game and when they’re not doing all that stuff. St Helens are a good team when they’re not doing that stuff. That stuff just kind of puts a slant I think on what they do achieve mate.”