Sports Letters: Top international referee should have taken Challenge game

From: Michelle Catherall, Church Lane, Fylingthorpe. Who on earth selected the abysmal referee Richard Silverwood for the match between Leeds Rhinos and the Melbourne Storm?

He either did not see or turned a blind eye to most of the horrific tackles done by the Australian team.

No wonder a few of them were smirking when the camera caught them!

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Then he penalised the Rhinos for a couple of innocuous tackles.

Also the Storm kept holding down the Leeds players and the referee ignored this constantly throughout the match and since when were all the non-players allowed to run about on the field with the players?

It looked as though there were several extra fully dressed players on the pitch.

Is this a new fad or a one off?

From: James Kenny, Rothwell, Leeds.

I feel sorry for Keith Senior but more for the rest of the team, the club and the thousands of Leeds fans who were denied a great event by last week's referee Richard Silverwood.

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I can only assume that a job in sunny Oz is the referee's ambition. He is certainly tuned in to the Aussie style of play and has made many friends in Melbourne for his approach.

When he is asked to officiate in a game such as this, high profile, massively promoted by Leeds and the RL, one has to ask the question why a French or New Zealand referee was not chosen? Who chose Silverwood?

The sight of Leeds players turning to him in the second half for clearance to leave the tackle was absurd.

The game of rugby league took a massive step back. It is high time an academy was set up to bring ex players into the game as referees.

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The present bunch would not last five minutes in rugby union where international referees are respected, outstanding and barely noticeable.

Bon Voyage Mr Silverwood and don't come back.

From: Kevin Maguire, Hanover Street, Batley.

The game between Melbourne and Leeds was once again a credit to the game of rugby league. However, once again, we cannot compete at club level and international level and are always 10 or 12 points behind the Southern Hemisphere.

In the final analysis it is up to the coaches at school level and beyond to teach levels of skill and defensive qualities that are required.

It is now too long since we fell so far behind and on each occasion that we meet these clubs and countries we are always ready to blame someone else for our deficiencies.

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With regard to Keith Senior, he let Leeds Rhinos and rugby league down in general by losing control. Nevertheless, the match is over.

From: Harold Laycock, Sunny Bank Avenue, Mirfield, West Yorkshire.

It is always traumatic to witness a player breaking a leg.

There will be a great deal of public sympathy for Aaron Ramsey.

We all wish him well and hope that his injury is not career threatening.

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It is no surprise that such an injury did occur. It was only a matter of time, due to the ferocity of tackling by professional footballers.

In almost every tackle players go in with the leg outstretched and the studs showing.

Ashley Cole recently sustained a broken ankle whilst making such a tackle.

Although his own leg was outstretched with studs showing, the other player's boot happened to be higher than Coles.