Sione Mata'utia red card reaction: Huddersfield Giants and St Helens coaches in agreement

The Australian was sent off in the 17th minute of Friday's game at the Totally Wicked Stadium for lifting Giants hooker Danny Levi as he lay injured on the ground.

Several Super League players have been banned in the wake of similar incidents but Mata'utia became the first to be given his marching orders during a game.

Halifax Panthers prop Titus Gwaze was sent off for lifting an injured player in a recent Championship match against Barrow Raiders, resulting in an eight-game suspension.

After seeing Levi banned in the early weeks of the season, Ian Watson felt referee Chris Kendall had no option but to brandish the red card.

"I agreed with it because Danny was done for two games in the game against Hull KR for just touching his collar with his finger," said the Giants head coach.

"If we're going by the same rules, you can't touch a player who is potentially injured on the floor.

"I agreed with it on the back of what's happened to us before. But do I think it's harsh? Yeah, I think it's harsh.

"I thought Danny's ban for touching him was harsh - but the rule is you can’t touch an injured player so there's nowhere to go on that."

St Helens overcame the early loss of Mata’utia, who had successfully overturned a one-match ban for a high tackle to keep his place in the team, to claim a remarkable 25-0 win.

Saints boss Kristian Woolf views it as a well-intentioned rule that is being exploited.

“I understand where we’re going there but we’ve not quite got it right,” he said. “It’s not even a high shot to start with.

“Blokes are lying on the ground trying to milk penalties and we’re reacting or over-reacting to that. We’ve just got to get these decisions right.”