Hull KR v Wigan Warriors thriller proves Super League should scrap golden point
This week’s thriller between Hull KR and Wigan Warriors proved it is time to scrap golden-point in Betfred Super League.
Wigan won 26-22 thanks to Liam Farrell’s try in the fifth minute of sudden-death extra time. They had levelled the scores with a superb finish by Abbas Miski as the hooter sounded at the end of the 80 and Harry Smith missed a touchline conversion to snatch it in normal time.
It was a terrifically exciting game, even before sudden-death, with Hull KR scoring 18 unanswered points at one stage and leading 22-14 late on before Wigan battled back.
Both sides deserved something from it, Hull KR for the way they played over most of the match and Wigan for their never-say-die resilience.
Supposedly, games which end without a winner are an anti-climax, but a last-second equalising try, with a potentially winning kick after the hooter, is far from a dull finish.
A draw is a legitimate result for a league fixture in many team sports, even after four or five days of cricket, so why not rugby league?
And if there’s no score in two extra five-minute spells, the game ends all square (as it did between Leeds Rhinos and Huddersfield Giants last season) so why is a draw acceptable after 90 minutes, but not 80?
Super League followed the NRL’s lead by introducing golden-point, but just because the Aussies do something doesn’t make it right.
It’s common sense to standardise playing laws, but competitions can have different rules. In fact, there’s no golden point in the Betfred Championship and League One, which have both had just one draw this term.
Rhinos and St Helens fought out a 22-22 stalemate in the reserves competition the same night as the Hull KR-Wigan clash.
Offering a point to each team for a level score after 80 and a bonus in extra-time is a possible solution, but that means some games are worth more than others.
Unfortunately, rugby league players - apart from Brad Dwyer - aren’t much good at one-pointers, so extra-time can develop into a missed drop goal-athon. Rugby league is supposedly an 80-minute game. Let’s leave it at that.