Jon Wilkin slams ‘shocking’ inconsistency application of rules after Warrington Wolves beat Hull KR

Sky Sports pundit Jon Wilkin has hit out at the inconsistency in terms of how referees apply certain laws, picking out a prime example in Warrington Wolves’ play-off win over Hull KR.

Wilkin had plenty to say on officiating decisions after Warrington beat Rovers 35-12, even chiming in on the red card for Peta Hiku as he argued that it was a send-off as a result of Emre Guler’s red card on Friday night.

For him, that was a direct consequence as a precedent had been set, but he also criticised Saturday’s referee Aaron Moore for not using his own precedents from one half to another.

The key incidents that Wilkin took issue with were the offside penalty conceded by Elliot Minchella early on, from which Warrington kicked two points, and the second try scored by Matty Ashton, which was started by a James Bentley intercept from an offside position.

Speaking post-match on Sky Sports, Wilkin argued: “The consistency in the application of our rules at this level is shocking. It’s shocking. It’s not good enough.

“Warrington were the better side. Warrington were the better team. They deserved the win but you can understand why fans get frustrated because there’s almost a mechanical application of the rules at times and there’s a lack of consistency at other times.”

As he went on to explain his point, he drew on the red cards for Guler and Hiku as an example of precedents being set, stating: “We talk about the punch and say it’s so obvious that that’s a red card [Emre Guler] then that’s a red card, that’s a red card [Peta Hiku]. Well, if Minchella’s penalty for two was offside for a penalty in the first half, which it clearly is, then we’ve got to ask for consistency in that area as well.

“It must be consistent. It’s not. We can’t just request consistency on a punching instinct. It needs to be consistency across the board and that’s where coaches get frustrated, I get frustrated, fans get frustrated watching that because there’s no thread through it all.”

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That in turn started a separate debate on both red card offences with both coming from what can be described as soft and half-hearted punches, however, both men clenched their fists and connected with opponents, no matter how hard that connection was.

Hiku’s in particular was an incredibly light punch, with Wilkin arguing: “It’s his own fault. I just don’t think that’s a red card,” as he suggested punches should be graded just as with tackles.

“You can hit people in the head, and you can hit people in the head really hard. There’s a grading on that. If I hit you in the head, I’m not sent off but if I hit you in the head really hard, I get sent off.

“I just think if that was Origin, would either of those be given as red cards? And the answer’s no. If that was a Test match, would they be given? The answer’s no. If that’s a playoff game, the answer should be no. If that’s a Grand Final, the answer should be no.”

For the former Hull KR player, it was an example of the sport’s over-sanitisation: “The sport has been deeply sanitized, right? I just think we’re sanitizing the sport. The sport’s direction and the visibility has been dictated to by the officials and by the governors of the game, and it goes away from the entertainment and sometimes can distract from the entertainment of that sport.”

Sam Tomkins countered that, arguing that the rules make it so blindingly obvious on punches, making the argument that you cannot accidentally punch someone, whereas you can accidentally mistime tackles, even if he also felt the punch to be soft.

He made the case: “I think the red card for the punch, it’s a red card. Not one player in the Super League believes they can throw a punch and get away with it. Everybody knows.

“Don’t get me wrong, look, we’re playing gladiatorial sport. I don’t believe a punch that wouldn’t break a paper bag should deserve a red card but that’s it, just don’t throw a punch. It’s just a crazy decision.”

It certainly sparks an interesting debate on if either incident should have resulted in a red card and how the Match Review Panel will grade each incident.