Leeds Rhinos head coach Rohan Smith addresses huge fallout from Richie Myler incident

On Wednesday night, there was an incident that is still being talked about today.

It involved Leeds Rhinos’ Richie Myler and Huddersfield Giants’ Chris Hill with the latter being sinbinned by referee Jack Smith for a challenge on the former.

It involved Myler’s legs being thrown into the air by the Leeds man himself whilst Hill had a hold of the diminutive figure.

Since then, Sky Sports pundits Phil Clarke and Jon Wilkin have led polarising views into the incident.

“He’s milked it,” Wilkin said on Sky Sports.

“It’s beautiful from Richie Myler, he flicks his legs in the air and creates a dangerous situation.

He’s won his side a penalty he’s going to get a play sinbinned; it’s genius from Richie Myler, genius.

“Richie Myler has created that situation and bailed out on it. Incredibly smart, whatever you think about gamesmanship in the game, that’s smart from Richie Myler.”

For pundit Phil Clarke, it was ‘a disgrace’.

“It’s a disgrace, we brought in a rule a few years ago about throwing a ball into a player that was offside to penalise those that threw the ball.

“We need to do the same with this. I disagree with Jon Wilkin who said it was clever.

“Richie Myler plays for a penalty and there is nothing wrong with him. We talked about this sport as an honest game but that is long gone; that is a disgrace.

“If that doesn’t change I don’t want to watch or commentate on a sport where that happens.

“By using video replays for on field decisions we have encouraged things like that, it needs to change.”

However, Leeds boss Rohan Smith has defended Myler and believes there wouldn’t have been uproar had the sinbin not been awarded.

“I’ve seen the incident, it’s one of those ones that happens lots of times in the game,” Smith said.

“Players are fighting at the play the ball to get the best play they can and sometimes it can get messy.

“Had it been just a penalty with no yellow card, I’m sure it would not have been talked about as much.”