Image source, SWPixImage caption, Wakefield Trinity boss Daryl Powell oversaw a thrilling 26-24 win over Hull KR, as they came from behind to beat the reigning champions
ByJay FreemanBBC Sport England- Published6 June 2026, 21:53 BST
Wakefield Trinity boss Daryl Powell has said captain's challenges must be abolished for the good of rugby league.
Powell's side narrowly beat reigning champions Hull KR 26-24 in a tempestuous Super League encounter on Saturday, which saw nine tries, two sin-bins and two red cards.
The game, however, stretched to two hours from its 16:30 BST kick-off time, with several incidents and captain's challenges being sent to video referee Liam Rush, leading to the fixture being drawn out.
"We've got to change it, quick, for the beauty of the sport, because it's a beautiful sport and what we're doing at the moment is taking a little bit away from that," Powell said in his post-match press conference.
"I don't want to be damaging the sport by talking about it in a negative way but I think somebody has to make a decision that we change it."
Asked whether the idea of captain's challenge was sound but its implementation needed altering, Powell said: "No, get rid of it. It's a waste of time. It's not a waste of time but it is a waste of time."
BBC Sport has contacted the Rugby Football League for comment.
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Captain's challenge was introduced to Super League games for 2025 and allows teams to contest a referee's decision at a stoppage in play. Teams are allowed one unsuccessful challenge per game.
The system was first introduced in Australia's National Rugby League in 2020 with the aim of reducing the impact of an incorrect refereeing decision on the outcome of a match.
During Saturday's fixture, however, some incidents needed lengthy assessment on review.
Peta Hiku thought he had grounded the ball for a late Hull KR try which would have won his side the game, only to have his effort chalked off after a lengthy review by Rush which painstakingly assessed multiple angles.
Meanwhile, the Robins used their captain's challenge late on to assess a high tackle, something which Powell said was a tactical decision.
"I can't tell you how many times he looked at that Hiku one," Powell added.
"I've never seen anybody look at an incident so much in my life and it was obvious from the second [angle].
"You've got fans slow handclapping now. That is not what we want.
"The beauty of this game is the flow and the energy and the intensity of it. Hull KR went for a captain's challenge on an obvious high tackle at the end to give themselves a breather to defend that final four minutes. Well, it's an obvious high tackle.
"If you add up the time taken from captain's challenges today what would it be? Maybe 15 minutes?
"It's not good for the sport, everybody is saying it. Get rid of it. If it doesn't happen now it has to happen for next season."
