When it comes to accepting a referee's decision, rugby league remains streets ahead of most other sports.

However, that doesn't mean there's any room for complacency.

Over the last few weeks, two players – Huddersfield Giants' Luke Robinson and Paul Sykes of Bradford Bulls – have been sent off and then banned for abusing a referee, coincidentally in both cases against the same official, St Helens-based Steve Ganson.

There have been cases this season – especially one involving St Helens in the days much earlier in the campaign when not all decisions went their way – of players surrounding a referee in protest, Premiership football-style. That's something else which the RFL have said they will not tolerate.

Rugby league has for years had a sense of superiority over soccer with regards to player behaviour and that's something worth preserving. Frustration is understandable, but it can't be allowed to go too far.

Sports like football have cast envious eyes at rugby league, where the referee is still routinely referred to as "sir".

Soccer has already experimented with rugby league's tried and tested policy of teams being penalised 10 metres for dissent and is now considering banning anyone other than team captains from speaking directly to the referee.

In professional rugby league, generally, players do accept a referee's decision, but with Super League increasingly becoming a multi-million pound business, the stakes have been raised and the implications of losing a game are massive.

That inevitably leads to frustration and anger amongst players, coaches and fans when things don't go their way.

Unchecked, that will inevitably lead to the sort of anarchy sometimes seen in the most high-profile soccer matches, so it's understandable that the RFL is acting now to ensure that doesn't happen.

However, respect works both ways.