As I live out of the RL bubble the reaction here in the midlands was quite muted. A few at work mentioned it to me, as they'd seen it. We talked about it with my Rugby Union team.

Much as the act was a disgraceful one, the main reaction has been one of surprise, and a little bit entertained. Certainly no-one has said I'm not watching that anymore. If anything it has enhanced peoples images of RL players being hard.

As for people wanting longer than a 6 month ban, get real. Bad crime on the field, no lasting damage done.

The overreaction to get Flower banned for longer is not too dis-similar to that of other teams about HArdaker's misdermeanours. In fact I would wager that some who are calling for a higher ban are the ones who were decrying the same thing when the boot was only the other foot for Hardaker. Double standards clearly

Most of us grew up during a more brutal period of RL. I doubt RL brutality affected kids development on its own. If you have brought children up properly it is fairly easy to explain to them what happened was wrong, why & that it is now uncommon in the game. Most kids would have been too interested in St Bernard to barely notice what went off.

I enjoy a bit of biff as much as the next guy... as long as the next guy isn't Ben Flower!!

Tempers get heated in what it a very physical sport, players see red and... kapow - a bit of biff and IMO the game is better for it. Admit it, when it kicks off in a game we all get a bit giddy... true?

But what Flower did goes way, way beyond a bit of biff. One of, if not the worst attack I have seen in RL. To judge his actions as an extension of a traditional fracas is not applicable. To suggest 6 match ban for a good punch + a bit for the extra for the afters is nonsensical.

Punching a player who you have seconds earlier rendered unconscious should not be treated in the same was as simply punching a player.

And the operative word there is "seconds". How long was there between the two punches? Long enough for Flower to assess Hohaia's physical state and make a conscious decision to throw the second punch? Of course not. The second punch was thrown on instinct.

In some ways, bad as this was, is it really that much worse than Terry Newton's conscious, pre-meditated attacks on Sean Long and Lee Gilmour for example?

Correct Fat Boy , in 50 years its the worst thing i have seen and that includes the incidents with Newton , Boyd and Cassidy . Time to move on now though .

That high definition slow motion replay of the second punch makes it appear as if Flower had the time to pick his toenails, allow a cup of Twinings to infuse for several minutes and write a 50,000 word treatise on the vagaries of human nature prior to reaching the pre-meditated conclusion to punch Hohaia in the face again.

At least it gives Hardaker's ted apologists something to rage about throughout the off-season.

I think that the Saint's chairman's response has been admirable & I'm glad that Wigan have accepted the punishment.
Please can we all move on now?

OUTRAGE. Don't we love an outrage in this country.

worse than jim mills stamp ?

Time to move on until the next incident then it all starts on another player.The social media has a lot to answer for

When did throwing a punch start begetting a 6 match ban?

I can't remember many bans of more than 1-2 matches for face-to-face punches.

In which case the 11 matches is not "a bit extra", it's 9-10 matches extra. Or more than 5x the ban.

I'm appalled and outraged by all this outrage. I'm going to raise a petition calling for all outraged people to be imprisoned and have full exorcisms performed on them.

Starting with me.

Then you.

It's got nothing to do with Ben Flower or punching or subsequent bans.

It's just the latest outbreak of anti-Wigan hysteria which is akin to catnip for s.

Logic and precedent therefore doesn't come into it.

Trolls like you have found their vocation

I've reported this post. Through sheer outrage.

It's getting harder and harder to tell the trolls and the deluded apart on this forum these days.

Indeed.

So why did Flower stop punching Hohaia's face then if he was in a blind fit of rage... why just the one punch when he was in such an advantageous position and not in full control of his faculties? Why just one punch and not a frenzied attack if his decision making wasn't conscious as you suggest?

I tell you why, it's because you're talking b*ll*x.

Steady on Bang,I have it on good authority that El D is akin to a whirling dervish when he starts be outraged at your peril!
He can out Flower,Flower.

I'm the Ben Flower of angry letters to my local paper. Grrrrrrrrrr.

Given your habit of trolling the boards/fans of some other clubs, I'd be cautious about casting aspersions on trolls if I were you...

I agree the matter should be closed and moved on from. However the problem is that it was the last game of the season, until the 4 Nations starts what have fans and journalists got to talk and write about?

Had it happened early in the playoffs then with the semis and GF to play they'd have been something for people to move onto topic-wise.

No way. I've seen the video of that and it's utterly sickening. I also think Newton on Long was worse as he actually intended to seriously injure him.

Moriarty on Waddell is just about the worst I've seen. Hughie being held by two tacklers, and The Evil Moriarty* comes flying in elbow first at Waddell's head.

Look up 'Leeds 26 vs Widnes 12 (1989) 1/2' on youtube and got to about 2 mins 20 secs. The shot from the scoreboard end really captures it.

*(c) Stuart Duffy (pre turning to the dark side)

Bull$hit if the highest order. Two big lads having a set to was a part of the game I miss also, but I have no nostalgia whatsoever for thugs who took out playmakers. A prop knocking out and then smacking again a defenceless half on the ground is not "biff", it's the thuggery that blighted the sport for decades. Les Boyd got two bans of 12 months for acts of thuggery in the days when big lads could sort things out amongst themselves. You obviously can't tell the difference.

Having said that, the ban is fair and Flower should be treated like any other player once he's playing again. He's a good player and if he can control himself and put this behind him he has a great future on the game.