Not all heroes wear capes.
On Saturday afternoon, Warrington Wolves crushed the Wakefield Wildcats by 56-12 in the Challenge Cup semi-final to secure their place in the final alongside Hull FC. Kurt Gidley was amongst the try scorers – as well as helping himself to seven goals – but the star of the show was arguably in the stands.
As referee Gareth Hewer ran towards the touchline to ask the TV match official for help with one of his decisions, a young woman behind him noticed that she was unexpectedly part of the live coverage, and used her 15 seconds of fame to convey a vital piece of information to the viewing public.
She was desperately keen for everyone to know precisely what she thought of Hewer and his officiating of the game, and so used the international hand gesture for ‘tosser’ to maximum effect.
What was particularly impressive was her prolonged commitment to getting her message across. As you can see from the footage below, she can be seen waving away for ages, stopping briefly to flick the V before continuing with her original wanker gesture.
What a woman…
Can't beat someone being called a wanker on nation t.v. during a quiet Saturday afternoon. pic.twitter.com/giPH5xj1Zk
— Bill.I.Am (@sidneymufc) July 30, 2016
One of the great things about rugby is that fans and players alike accept that the referee's decision is final pic.twitter.com/CsE5nOfkeS
— Evan Fanning (@evanfanning) July 30, 2016
#ChallengeCup referee copping a bit of flak from a pleasant young lady… pic.twitter.com/CFiN8G9WNt
— Mark O'Haire (@MarkOHaire) July 30, 2016