Super League coach reveals meeting with referee boss

On Sunday Leeds Rhinos, Leigh Leopards, Hull FC, Wakefield Trinity, Salford Red Devils and St Helens were all in action in the final set of fixtures before the Challenge Cup Final.

The game of the day and in fact the game of the round was separated by only three points as St Helens defeats Salford in front of 6,500 fans.

The Saints trailed 15-2 in the second half but scored 16 unanswered points to claim an 18-15 win over the Red Devils.

After the game, Paul Rowley underlined his dissatisfaction with the officials as he said it was “a good game spoiled” and called referee Jack Smith “a disgrace.”

This came as he also revealed a conversation with the referee boss:

“I had a good chat and a good a good discussion with officials, boss Dave Elliott the other week. He mentioned Jack Smith and how he likes the character of each referee,” he said on Salford Red Devils TV.

“Jack Smith takes a big prominent stride forward when he’s marking his 10th. Have you seen that? I said this is where grey areas are for me. Do you go back 10 metres, do you go back to the ref or do you go back to where he’s going to step forward to?

“The game is hard enough, but Dave was under the impressive that if we did the stats then we’d find he had given the least offsides. When we did the stats, he’d give the most. So, quite interesting. I think, I don’t know if it’s confidence.

“When you speak to people within the game, within the officiating department, off the record, they quite openly tell you that it’s a mess and there’s nothing coming through. Well it’s a mess because the games are getting decided by officiating and we see one decision given one week and the same pictures the week after given in a different way.

“I’m lost to it all and I feel sorry for the players and I feel sorry for the fans as it must be an element of frustration for him. I’ll go home, I’m an ignorance is bliss sort of guy, I don’t read any social media so you speak your mind you get battered obviously like Wello did when he spoke his mind about the Asiata tackles, he got battered on the back of it so I’m told.

“But ignorance is bliss, I’ve said my piece, I think I’m a fair man. I think I’m usually pretty cool about how I deliver my messages and again I’m not red in the face or seething, I’m just stating facts.”