Hohaia tried a forearm smash on flower in retaliation for Flowers late charge moments before. Flower saw red and banjo'd Hohaia, a little OTT but I can see why.

What he did next was unforgivable and the act of a cowardly b'stard, Hohaia was sparked when Flower threw that second punch.

A team of thugs with one or two exceptions but I said it a few months back and will repeat it now... Wigan are a 'win at all costs' team and play a flavour of Rugby that I personally despise.

They got what they deserved today.

I'd give him 6 months too.

In prison.

Flower needs to learn the correct Wigan way. Do it sneakily. O'Loughlin should be able to teach him. He's a master.

In the build up this week I had a dubious feeling about how Wane was building up this Wigan/Saints hatred thing. I can understand it for a league game (and often a flashpoint will happen as a result) but for a GF the occasion is big and important enough regardless of who the opposition is. Cooler heads and better discipline are usually a big step to winning finals so doing his 'raw meat' routine for this particular game wasn't a good idea IMO.

SINE DIE.

When has England captain Sean O'Loughlin ever punched a player?

That many head tackles can't all be accidental

Penalty machine, when he's not injured.

With Mental Mickey not playing, ironically due to injury, the question raised was "which of the thugs will be targeting the Saints playmakers?" We did not have long to wait, step forward Flower.
It alsmot paid off for Wigan as Saints had no other recognised playmaker.
Such behaviour in striking an unconscious player in the high street would result in a custodial sentence. However, the pie eater will no doubt be given a slap on the wrist and let off with only 2 or 3 game ban.

Wigan can play some good attacking rugby, when everything is going for them but have a disgusting habit of trying to win by injuring their opponents. Green should have been given 10 minutes for holding down and how their captain continues to go unpunished for his nasty cheap shots beggars belief

Karma. If you play like a team of houses eventually it will bite you. Just so Helens it but then in the boat Grange of the season. My heart bleeds for them

Interesting to read that saints are considering 'action outside of the game', obviously criminal proceedings. Normally I hate to hear that but really flower has left little options especially as the rfl have no backbone and will likely only dishout a 4-6 game ban.

Genuinely can't remember seeing such a disgusting cowardly action on any sportsfield. Even Luis Suarez had the good grace to only bite a concious player.

For me flower can be banned for life. I have no interest in seeing a 'player' like that. I hope he gets a prison sentence.

Such a shame as it was an otherwise tense hard game.

Totally agree - the Wayne method of injuring key opposition players is nothing less than planned actual bodily harm and should carry the penalties of common law. Both Flower and Wayne should be prosecuted in a court of law and banned from our wonderful sport.
Wayne's training room has pictures of opposition players' injuries with plans of how to attack these weak spots in every game. This is cynically planned and if it is allowed to prosper in our sport will inevitably result in permanent injury - or even death.
What will we all think then???
I for one will not watch any game that involves Wigan again...

That was one of the worst attacks I have ever seen on a RL field with a man on floor and clearly unable to defend himself. Nothing ever can justify that no mater what Flower thought or felt LH did to him.

Taking it in context it's much worse than anything Sinfield did with head butt, Hardaker did with his mouth and Bailey has ever done. In fact the only similar attacks were Leon Price on Sinny in CC game a few years ago when Price ran up to Sinny from behind and whacked him or Senior when he did over BJ Mather at Casleford and got away with it.

So in my opinion RFL need to make an example of Flower and Wigan thuggery so go for a 1 year ban from 1st November 2014 and compulsory anger management counselling.

Therefore in view of past experience I predict 4 match ban and brush it under carpet.

What riles me most is Gary Linekar gloating that football is such a gentlemans sport and it would never happen. Wonder if Gary Linekar remembers Roy Keane and Alf Ing-Haland. Hypocritical twonk

Lost respect for lineker with that comment, yes thing so like that don't happen in football, but how many rapes drink driving as salts off the field, gambling, fan violence, etr etr, yes football a real gentleman's sport.

You do realise Lineker was being sarcastic don't you?

Nope think he meant it

Totally agree.

As for the 'Family Game' image last night's Wigan performance had put the final nail in that particular coffin.

There has to be a statement by Wigan and the RFL regarding the culture of the Wigan club

They should be fined £1000 for bringing the game into disrepute.

Single-celled organisms don't think.

They lack the capacity to do so.

Ryan Bailey...

What about him, is he another player you've racially abused at a rugby ground?

please please please give me an example of Ryan Bailey`s thuggery that is close to being on par with this? take your time pal

They can't but they will try, and trawl out the usual incidents prison' faisovalo (spell check), Kevin brown.