Smith says penalties are slowing down games

England coach Tony Smith has called on Super League coaches and players to help reduce the number of penalties.

Wigan's win over Wakefield last week saw a record 32 penalties awarded, and Smith says the average of 17 per game needs to be reduced.

Smith, who is also the RFL's technical director, said: "We'd all like to see the penalty count come down.

"But to achieve this we've all got a part to play - match officials, coaches and players alike."

He added: "Everyone is calling for consistency in decision making from match officials.

"But there needs to be an understanding that you can't stop applying the letter of the law once you've passed a certain number of penalties.

"The match officials are working hard to improve their decision making and I'm sure this, combined with coaches and players looking at how they can improve their discipline, will see penalty counts start to fall."

Figures indicate interference at the play-ball has accounted for nearly one in three penalties this season (333), with offside at the play ball one in five (199).