The Sky Sports pundit has not held back.
20:16, 07 Sep 2025Updated 20:17, 07 Sep 2025
Hull KR’s Mikey Lewis celebrates victory over Hull FC.
Hull FC prop Jack Ashworth has been called ‘disgusting’ for landing a blow on Hull KR half-back Mikey Lewis during the closing stages of Sunday’s derby match.
The incident, one of many called out by Rovers head coach Willie Peters, happened towards the end of a fiery clash which had already seen three sin bins – two for Hull players Yusuf Aydin and Jordan Rapana and one for Robins captain Elliot Minchella.
But there was another sour-looking passage of play that went unpunished at the time, with Ashworth seemingly dropping an elbow on the face of Lewis in a tackle, which has now been branded as ‘basically assault’ by Sky Sports pundit Jon Wells.
The former Castleford man – the club Ashworth will join next season – didn’t hold back in his assessment, calling the forward’s play ‘dirty’ as Rovers closed out an 18-4 win at Craven Park. Wells also expects Ashworth to be in hot water with the RFL’s Match Review Panel on Monday afternoon.
Speaking on Sky Sports, Wells said: “It’s disgusting. There is absolutely no place for it on a rugby field. It’s dirty, dirty play. It was ridiculous. He will be ashamed of himself when he sees that back, Jack Ashworth. You can expect a bit more spite in a derby game but some of the stuff we’ve seen in the last couple of minutes isn’t rugby league; it’s basically assault.”
Elsewhere, Rapana was sin-binned for a late shot on Rovers full-back Arthur Mourgue and could face further action from the MRP. However, Hull coach John Cartwright has already come out and said the player doesn’t believe the contact ‘was high.’
Meanwhile, Wells has stated he was surprised with how reckless Hull, who could also see further sanctions for Aydin, were in the final minutes of the game, given that they have two games still to go this season and are very much in the picture for a top six finish.
He added: “They’re reckless like there’s no tomorrow. They wanted to leave a mark on Hull KR and they could be in the play-offs. They’ve got two huge games.”