Talking .

It was his team, coached by him who were spoiling at the play the ball and slowing everything down with Cameron Smith being a master at this.

Only the ref can stop the spoiling tactics though

Him and Kearney are making it sound like we play it that slow!!

I agree but Smith is a master at it and Aus were the worst culprit but Sheens is making out it was his team who were hard done to.

It doesnt matter. Benthem allowed it to happen and shouldnt of. Poor refereeing. No different from a football ref who allows constant fouling. Benthem should of blew the whistle early and it would of stopped.

Bentham lost the plot tonight... He decided to just let them do it.

Very poor display of authority.

Australian tactics - slag off the ref this week so that next week the ref is scared to give any decisions against them - Bentham was scared of it this week and you can expect more of the same at wembley

Yet everyone slated Ganson for 'blowing up for it' and when it didn't stop, and he continued, he ruined the game. It's a very fine line for the officials.

My thoughts exactly.

Effectively 90% of people are happy to repeat whatever Hemmings and Stephenson tell them. There was nothing wrong with the PTB speed tonight, it made for a good game rather than a scootfest.

Sheens is a , but then he's an Australian.

It was a poor game not helped by the officiating. I was shocked to see how much slower the play the balls where tonight when compared to what we see every week in the nrl. But, ultimately it's down to the official to stamp it out and not let them slow the game down. He didn't do that at all tonight and I actually felt at times that it was even slower than an average sl game which was disappointing. Typical of the aussies to make a big deal over the reffing, but when they are used to playing the game so much faster it must be frustrating.

Awwww bless did someone stop the Aussies playing their own game? A disgrace.

God he does moan don't he. I remember last year him moaning about "garbage tactic" His team were the worst tonight, but Bentham should have stopped it.

Tonight's international might as well have been played without a referee. I thought it was a decent game but could have been so much better.

Tim Sheens says it will ruin the tournament if it continues.
Stephen Kearney says it was painful.
Even the bald incomprehensible one in whose armpit I reside and the know-nowt to whose wig I aspire agree.

Only Clarkey seemed to think it was a good thing as it may give England a chance. If I wanted to see 'win at any cost' negative rugby I'd break a 40 year habit and start supporting his team.

I'm not sympathising with Sheens or Kearney, but I wholeheartedly agree with them.

It was like watching Wigan playing against Wigan. Not very pretty.

What a load of utter rubbish!! Give people some credit just because you don't agree that the ptb's were slower than usual and don't insult their intelligence.

Sheens is a typical Ocker gobe. He always has been, and always will be.

Nice to see him make reference to Matt Cecchin. Of course, the Aussie referees can do no wrong, they are practically perfect in every way.

And those turds Eddie and Stevo don't help either. Stevo saying it was boring all this slow play the balls and men lying in the ruck. IT HAPPENS EVERY WEEK IN SUPER LEAGUE!!! They don't complain then, say it's boring etc. They are only agreeing with that tosspot Sheens because they don't want to court controversy and go against the "Aussie grain". No doubt the RFL will now give Matt Cecchin every other appointment remaining in the 4 Nations by way of an "apology".

I didn't see anything wrong in the play the ball, it was slow, but both teams took advantage of it, a team who plays to the conditions, both weather wise and refereeing wise, is one who will win the tournament. If I was the International board fine sheens, he should not be able to criticise referees like that live on TV, do it behind the scenes. His team got the rub of the decisions tonight.

I disagree. I am personally immune to the two clowns in the commentary box, but it was quite clear tonight that the PTB was very slow compared to normal SL games. Now you might argue SL games could use some slowing down at the PTB, but I personally found tonight's game dull, and the reason for that dullness was because the PTBs were so slow, and so messy, with defenders holding the ball carrier's leg in the air after the tackle is completed, second and even third man flops well after the tackle is complete and just general holding on even as the man regains his feet to try and play the ball. With international defensive lines, there was almost no room for the likes of Lockyer and Marshall to demonstrate the skills we all pay to see. It was pretty awful, like a throwback to the early 80s. I hated it.

I assume that Bentham had been instructed to allow very slow PTBs, because there's no way he'd allow that in a normal SL game. But if that's the case, then Sheens and Kearney must have known about it, so were being right gits afterwards when criticising him.

My prescription would be to have Ganson ref all the rest of the games. He doesn't give a bugger about how the Aussies want it reffed, and he'd blow the pea out of his whistle if they tried that sort of rubbish again. I'd rather watch a first half hammered with penalties than another game of that degree of tedium.

Here, here

I enjoyed the physical, slowing down, arm-wrestle stuff. I'm sick and tired of watching a diluted tag version of rugby league where easy attacking metres are gained on the back of tiresome dummy half or first receiver scoots, and where defences have to retreat 10m within a nanosecond of executing a tackle after the ref calls 'held'. It's tiresome enough when the attacking team is gifted 10m of territory as a reward for being tackled in the first place! Lockyer and Marshall possess the requisite skills and craft to unlock the tightest and most intense of defences anyhow and actually earn the time and space to work their magic. The fact that they didn't is because neither played well enough on the night.

Well said sir.

FACT: it was poor refereeing

FACT: players will adapt to what is being refereed.

It was a digraceful effort by the officials. Sheens just called it like it was. Most coaches would whinge when they lose, the Kangaroos won by 13+.

How often do you hear a coach when his team wins comprehensively?

Sheens was right, I watched the game tonight with kiwis, aussies and british alike who were disgusted in the control of the game.

He's complained and will continue to do so all week until they are given an Australian ref at Wembley.

Sheens could have made the same point without sounding like my 9 year old


Not impressed at all

Disgraceful and really petty comments. Especially his clear implication that it’s a "Brit thing"

Perhasps the RFL should be equally petty and come out with "We are not sure how it is done in Australia but in the UK we respect the officials, one match ban"?

Even worst for the fact that it was his team that was the guilty party. Bentham probably should have blown a few penalties to stamp his authority, but then if it had carried on we would have either had "No consistency from the refs" if he stopped blowing for penalties every 5 minutes, or "it’s another Ganson show, 7 penalties in 7 minutes!" I think he made the best decision personally.