[Lord Snooty]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/rugby-league/29612687

Wigan prop Ben Flower has been given a six-month ban after twice punching St Helens' Lance Hohaia during Saturday's Grand Final.
Flower, 26, punched Hohaia to the ground then landed a second blow while the New Zealander lay prone.

Is it me or has rugby league suddenly lost it's credibility as a hard man's sport?

A 10 match ban for what was basically a red mist reaction to a forearm smash in the face?

The other lad has been banned for just the one match for his part in this.

For a sport that prides itself on "not being a poof's game like football", is this rugby league admitting it's now a woofter's game?

[El Car]

I have to emphatically disagree with you there. Lashing out at someone in the moment is just about understandable in sport, but Flowers lashed out once and then followed up by assaulting Hohaia while he was out cold on the floor. It was the action of a moron and a thug and judging by the way he went about it I doubt it was the first time he's done it to someone. It was about as cowardly a thing I've ever seen in the game. In any game even. The reaction of his coach was almost as bad when he said doing things like that was why he loves him.

[Lord Snooty]

All part of the game. Or at least it used to be. It's gone soft. (Not that I agree with it).

[Stairs]

Let's face it, that was a tad too far, even for one. Rugby pitch. The man not only punched a fellow player he then punched him again when he was out cold on the floor.

That said, Alan sports involve huge levels of passion and a physical contact sport is at the top end on this.

He had to be banned. Maybe for 6 matches but not for 6 months.

To put it in context, for me, this is equivalent to Paul Gascoigne's rash tackle in the FA Cup Final all those years ago. He was stretchered off, but was he punished any further?

[Lord Snooty]

Don't think Gazza even got booked for that.

[El Car]

Probably wasn't even a bookable offence then. I don't think dangerous tackles were clamped down on in any meaningful way til 1994.

[theo_luddite]

Flower should have got at least 12 months from all forms of rugby if you ask me. Complete and utter thug. No place for that in any form of sport let alone rugby. If he didn't like the first challenge (stand-off against a prop? come on!) then he should have bided his time to take appropriate revenge in a tackle or similar when he had the ball. There were another 78 minutes to go, he'd have had plenty of chances and likely at best been binned for it.

[ritchiebaby]

He was lucky the police didn't get involved. If it had happened in the street in full view of CCTV cameras, he'd be expecting a visit from the boys in blue.

[WakeyTerrier]

In reality he's been given a 10match ban from Super League because IMO the 2 pre season fixtures count for nothing and the World Series game is little more than a exhibition game and considering the minimum ban would have been 8 games then he's got off lightly