“Referees are getting this wrong quite often” – Jon Wilkin questions controversial Tongan sin bin

The first half of today’s final test between England and Tonga was heading towards the half with little drama, however with England leading 14-0 in the 35th minute a melee ensued seeing a man from each team sent to the sin bin.

Pundit Jon Wilkin has now claimed that referee Chris Kendall has got it wrong, even suggesting that “officials get it wrong quite often”, with the former St Helens skipper unhappy that Tonga’s Keaon Koloamatangi was sent to the sin bin.

England had gone 12-0 up with tries from Ben Currie and Matty Ashton, both of which NRL star John Bateman had a very heavy influence in through his brilliant offload game.

Harry Smith had converted both tries and then knocked over a penalty to which England then received a kick-off, with Red Vee Matty Lees being the man to run it back to the Tongan defensive wall.

Lees took a walloping before it seemed that tackler Olakau’atu was lying on, however Lees was instead pulling on the second-rower’s hair thus engaging him in the ruck still and in turn leading to a tussle, and then a 26 man maul.

Referee Chris Kendall has now been criticised by Jon Wilkin with the official rightly sending Lees to the bin, but then levelling the teams up by sending Tongan loose forward Koloamatangi for ten as well, something Wilkin vehemently disagreed with,

“Matty Lees doesn’t like it and he just has a little tug at Olakau’atu’s hair. You can’t do that,” Wilkin explained.

Kevin Brown then asked: “How has one person been labelled as running in when there’s 26 players all involved. I don’t know how he’s gone to the bin for that myself”

Wilkin surmised the situation stating: “Matty Lees should be off because he’s been hit fair and square and he’s reacted with a petulant action. But Koloamatangi getting sin binned for what was 26 people running in, how do you pick any of them out?

“We’re getting this wrong, referees and officials are getting this wrong quite often. There is no clear yellow card for Koloamatangi and he should be slightly aggrieved by that, but this is the least of Tonga’s worries.”

On the live commentary for BBC former England boss John Kear called out Lees for his petulance however Kendall’s decision wasn’t called into question.

Kear said: “Sometimes you have got to wear the tackle, he got walloped and you just have to wear it. It is petulant from Lees.”