‘You are f***ing incompetent’: Tigers skipper sent off for abusing ref in record loss

Wests Tigers skipper James Tamou was binned then sent off in a matter of seconds on Saturday night after abusing referee Ben Cummins.

The Tigers were on the receiving end of their worst defeat in club history when Tamou gave Cummins some unsolicited advice with 60 seconds left.

Roosters forward Angus Crichton had just spilt the ball out of dummy-half but Cummins ruled it went backwards.

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Tamou could then be seen barking something at Cummins while he was involved in a three-man tackle of Crichton.

Cummins immediately blew a penalty and said “you can go” to Tamou while holding 10 fingers in the air.

“You are f***ing incompetant you are,” Tamou fired back.

That saw Cummins upgrade the Tigers prop from a sin bin to a straight send off.

“He’s now just off, it was 10 and now it’s just off,” Warren Smith said on Fox League.

Wests Tigers captain James Tamou is sent off.Source: FOX SPORTS

Tamou took a few strides towards the sideline before turning back and giving Cummins another piece of his mind.

Cummins held his ground and told him to “keep going” and a seething Tamou then turned back and continued his march to the sheds.

“James Tamou has reached the end of his rag and gone out in style,” Smith said.

“Sent off. Initially sin binned, now sent off for some rather fruity dissent in the direction of the referee.

“I didn’t see that one coming.”

Wests press conference | 09:42

Tamou had been penalised for chat back just 60 seconds earlier.

The 33-year-old lost the ball in a tackle just two metres out from the Roosters’ line and then threw it at his tackler Terrell May.

“Now Tamou reacts to putting it down, throws the ball at May and to compound the situation gives away a penalty,” Smith said.

Cummins said the penalty was “for back chat” and Tigers forward Joe Ofahengaue then comically asked if they could challenge.

“The frustration is at boiling point for the Tigers,” Mick Ennis said.

“He’s frustrated the captain, just look at him.”

Tamou issued a lengthy and emotional apology for his behaviour in his post-match press conference.

“I’m embarrassed. I’ve let a lot of people down,” he said.

“Instead of looking myself in the mirror and being accountable, I took it out on the wrong people and again that’s taking the easy way out. I’m obviously shattered.”

Where to now for Tigers after thumping? | 03:25

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