SAINTS boss Keiron Cunningham has received clarification from the RFL’s head of match officials Jon Sharp over the apparent change in how the ruck is being policed.

After a spate of penalties in that play-the-ball area in the first two weeks of the season, the World Club Challenge games then saw a tolerance of slowing the game down in that area.

And this continued last weekend in Saints’ home game against Castleford and the Leeds v Huddersfield match the night previously.

Cunningham explained that he was not whingeing about it, but was simply seeing if the interpretation has changed as this will crucially affect how his team will attack and defend this season.

The Saints boss said: “I have spoken to Jon Sharp and the officials and simply explained that I wanted to know if anything had changed since week one when there were lots of penalties.

“Apparently nothing has changed – so I don’t know what was going on in round one and two.

“So what we saw on Friday is the way the game is now going to be played, so we will adjust our game accordingly.

“I understood it for the World Club games because they wanted to let them flow (with no penalties). But watching the Leeds v Huddersfield game and then us against Cas, when it was the same, there has been a knock on effect.

“It looks like a difference to me, but I am just looking at it like a coach.”

It is not the first time there has been a tweak in what is allowed in and after the tackle, with the 2009 season seeing an increase in wrestling techniques to slow play the balls.

That led to a lot of frustration, primarily because it impacted heavily on Saints who had two of the most effective dummy half players in the competition in Cunningham and James Roby.

If, as it appears, that slow rucks are here for the campaign – Saints will adjust their play accordingly.

“It helps our defence by knowing, so we know what we can work on.

“You win or lose games in the middle of the field.

“If that is the way the game is going to be we will change the way we attack and defend. We have got one of the best nines in the competition and don’t want him strangling out of the game.

“If that is how teams are going to defend we will have to find a different structure,” he said.