McGuire unhappy with 'pathetic' refereeing in loss
Castleford Tigers head coach Danny McGuire believes his side were on the wrong end of "pathetic" and "horrific" refereeing decisions in Saturday's Super League defeat by Wigan.The former England and Great Britain international was upset about calls which went against his team in a narrow 26-20 home loss to the Warriors.McGuire, 42, was annoyed by an unpunished challenge on Alex Mellor which left the Tigers skipper needing strapping to his knee.To add to his ire, Cas had a 63rd-minute try ruled out for a knock forward when leading 16-12, and moments later, a Tigers turnover of possession on halfway was overturned by a successful captain's challenge."Some of the decisions tonight were pathetic," McGuire told BBC Radio Leeds."The standard of officiating and some of the stuff that's going on, it's getting worse."Bring back some of the older guys, like (Richard) Silverwood, (Steve) Ganson and (Russell) Smith and people like that. At least they had some guts about them."He added: "Some of the calls were horrific and it's been consistent for us this year. We don't get the calls."Sometimes that's because you're not a dominant team, so we do get some tough calls."The eight-time Super League winner said he was "not bothered" by the potential of disciplinary action over his post-match comments."I don't care if they fine me, I'll pay them back a pound a week, but it's just not good enough and it's consistently not good enough," he said."You ask questions and they just fob you off with pointless answers, so it's a waste of time investing any energy in asking questions about calls because they just fob you off."
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Times
an hour ago
- Times
Henry Pollock's tackling needs work but this artist with attitude is the real deal
A croissant, a cup of tea and a cold, clear-headed analysis of the game the day before. Please let there be some resemblance to the match you watched live on Saturday and to your column in The Sunday Times. In the main my prayers are answered . . . in the main. This Sunday morning I hazarded to mention Henry Pollock to the sports desk before setting off for the office. The columns offered included a tactical feature on a dog-legged Lions defence, one on restarts (Alex Lowe is handling that particular fiasco) and . . . 'OK, I'll go through Pollock's performance, start to finish'. Online, in print, it's impossible to escape his name. The British & Irish Lions are the stuff of myth, legends who are determined to remain relevant in an age where professionalism — theoretically — should have killed them off. In reality, they are a brand, a marketing monster. They sell satellite packages for Sky and, yes, they sell newspapers. 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There are plenty of rugby sites online to confirm the statistics, the bald facts. For example, Josh van der Flier was the top tackler with 21 to his name. Pollock wasn't far behind on 17. God knows, these sorts of statistics are quoted without a second, let alone a first, look. The Northampton Saints back-row forward ticked the tackle box but attackers were half-tackled and able to carry beyond the gainline. They were hung on to, they were grabbed by one leg, hopping their Western Australian way on to the front foot. In stark contrast, Van der Flier, the Ireland open-side flanker, was much more definitive. So too Joe McCarthy. In the main, when they made tackles, the opposition's attack came to a juddering halt. In the Test arena there's a world of difference between crossing the gainline in the tackle and being knocked backwards. Pollock was unconvincing in the tackle. That could cost him a stunning starting berth. On the carry he was again incredible. The marketing man's dream, the Lions brand brought to life as he produced a pair of Pollock specials to set up Tomos Williams for a try in the first half and McCarthy in the second. How many viewings online of Pollock the try-creating marauder? He went viral; he's showbusiness. But he does the hard yards, too. Garry Ringrose's second-half try was a thing of beauty, as Finn Russell and friends manipulated the blind side. Lots of replaying well-timed and overhead inside passes but, for once, Pollock's role is ignored. In the immediate lead-up to the sweet passing, he is hit hard by a defender. There is a momentary pause. If the ball-carrier goes backwards, only one metre, the defence takes the initiative. If the carrier breaks the gainline by the same distance, the phase ball is fast and the attackers have the front foot. These odd metres win and lose you Test matches. Pollock didn't — and rarely does — reverse as a carrier. 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Tripped and pushed, why wouldn't he jump to his feet and give the nearest opponent a piece of his mind and the merest of gesticulations? Nick Champion de Crespigny, the home side's flanker, then reacted to Pollock's legitimate reaction. The speed with which McCarthy sprinted to the mêlée in defence of his team-mate most definitely suggested the players have a soft spot for 'the kid'. If the spat was erroneously perceived as proof of immaturity, so too the yellow card brandished his way at the end of the first half. I'll confess, in The Sunday Times, I took the detractors' position. Warned by the referee, Ben O'Keeffe, he was the man who went offside 23 minutes later. 'No clear release,' O'Keeffe shouted. But his was an individual yellow card for a collective warning. Being 20 is a boon for Pollock. There is nothing he feels he cannot do. He may never be this liberated again. His freedom is a bonus but, in the gnarled world of the breakdown, it takes weary back-row warriors to convince the referee they would never go off their feet, come in at the side or — as on Saturday — offer no clear release. It takes a lifetime to become Richie McCaw. TV commentators like to talk of flankers 'painting pictures'. Andy Farrell has to be sure that the picture Pollock ends up painting won't be similar to those of his namesake, Jackson. But Jackson Pollock, for all the seeming randomness of the finished work, was an artist in command of his craft. Trusting to facts alone, Pollock is an unlikelier contender for the Test series. The worries about his dominance in the tackle may mean his role is that of impact replacement. But make no mistake, this is an artist with attitude. Pollocks to the branding and the marketing, he is the real deal.
The Guardian
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The Guardian
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