Cullen protests about new rule

The rule, which prevents trainers from running on to the field and giving tactical advice when play is in motion, was introduced at the start of the season and Cullen says not one Super League club is in favour of it.

Wolves have already suffered at the hands of the rule, with the club currently appealing against a £500 fine assistant coach Gary Chambers was ordered to pay after being sent off in the Super League opener at Wigan.

Chambers was dismissed for passing on instructions from behind the sticks - not on the field of play - while a Wigan penalty was being kicked.

And Cullen was also unhappy that the new rule hindered Wolves' reorganisation when Chris Bridge replaced injured winger Brent Grose during their win at Harlequins.

He said: "We hadn't planned to throw Chris on after five minutes but Brent Grose was very badly cut and came off instantly, so Chris jumped up and ran on the field.

"He initially went on the left wing and because you can't get the head trainer on these days he stayed there for a considerable period and then we made rotations as and when we could.

"Michael Sullivan came off, Paul Johnson went to left wing, Vinnie Anderson to left centre, Jon Clarke to loose forward and Chris Bridge to stand off and then we rotated Michael Sullivan and Mark Gleeson at nine.

"But that's quite a complicated procedure when you're doing it without a head trainer.

"Those who have brought the rule in have very little understanding of the demands of this game."

Not thought out

An incident involving Wolves last season was part of the reason that the rule was introduced, with Henry Fa'afili sustaining a head injury after colliding with Huddersfield assistant coach Ben Cooper, who was running on to the field to give instructions and hand a water bottle to Giants players.

But Cullen believes the rule has not been thought out properly and added: "The only thing that concerns me with the rules this season is the inability of the head trainer to do his job properly.

"I think the rule is draconian. It's not doing the game a service.

"We plan our substitutions almost to the minute and I can guarantee that there's not one coach in Super League that plans to change wingers, centres and full backs or half backs.

"If you're planning a prop forward rotation, invariably between 15 and 20 minutes, they go all out knowing they're going to get a break.

"But if you lose a half back - Chris Bridge - or a winger - Richie Barnett and Brent Grose - they pick themselves up and come off the field.

"When we lost Chris Bridge at Wigan, Michael Sullivan jumped up and ran on to the field because he knew we were one man down but the officials wouldn't let him on.

"When we lost Brent Grose at Harlequins, Chris Bridge jumps up and goes on and we've got him defending on the wing.

"We can't get any positional changes and you lose that as a coach and end up playing with men out of position because you can't get a message to change it.

"In both games our players didn't know we'd made substitutions because it happened behind play. It happened so quickly.

"We got in at half time at Harlequins and Lee Briers didn't know that Chris Bridge had gone on at left wing and had then moved to half back, because you can't get your message to the players and your captain.

"Lee Briers is defending two in on the right-hand side and we've got changes to our left-hand side.

"You can just about get a message to the man involved but you can't get a message to your captain that the shape's changed.

"With Brent Grose, who comes off with his face pouring with blood, some of the players haven't seen it because it's happened behind the play and the substitute is only allowed to run on behind play.

"Most of the players don't know you've made a substitution at that point and that is a major flaw in this new interpretation.

"It was never thought out properly and there is no support for this from any of the 12 clubs.

"We are all suffering at the hands of this new rule."