Liam Watts of the Castleford Tigers was sent off in the opening round of the Betfred Super League for tackling Tyler Dupree with direct contact to the opponent’s head. Due to the rain, the jungle—where the match was held—was more like a swamp.
Despite the difficult weather, the Wigan Warriors, the Super League champions, prevailed.
With the new regulations going into effect in 2024, there were some occasions throughout the game that made many doubt the decision-making of the officials and video referees.
For example, Kaide Ellis avoided a card because the opponent’s back was bent, even though the card made contact with the opponent’s head. In addition, Harry Smith received a sin bin when he tackled Luke Hooley and unintentionally tipped him over.
Despite these events, the Wigan Warriors managed to secure a 16-4 halftime lead thanks to tries from Patrick Mago and Bevan French and went on to win 32-4, but the incidents with Smith and Ellis have left them with a concern ahead of the World Club Challenge, especially with Craig Lingard claiming Smith was recommended to receive a red card by the video referee.
Disciplinary on Monday could be a nervous day for the Super League Champions Wigan Warriors.
In the opening game between Hull FC and Hull KR, Herman Ese’ese was the first player to receive a sin-bin penalty for a high tackle, under the new rules. Franklin Pele was sent off for a swinging arm, and Ligi Sao was also sent off, while Matt Parcell was sin-binned.
Ryan Brierley was given a sin bin penalty during the Headingley match for a hard tackle on his teammate Brodie Croft. Similar to this, Ricky Leutele was sin-binned for a late hit in the Leigh Leopards vs. Huddersfield Giants match, and John Asiata was also given a yellow card. Salford’s Amir Bourouh was carded as the ninth player after Momirovski was sent off. In the Jungle game, there were two more cards shown.
