Ben Flower was banned for six months last night for the punches that sent the Super League final between St Helens and Wigan into the headlines.

Earlier in the day Lance Hohaia accepted a one-match ban for the forearm strike that sparked the barrage of blows.

The Rugby Football League’s disciplinary tribunal took just half-an-hour to come up with the punishment after Flower admitted the grade F offence.

It announced the verdict via its Twitter account: “Ben Flower of @WiganWarriorsRL banned until April 14 2015 after being found guilty of Grade F violent and aggressive punching v @Saints1890.”

New Zealand stand-off Hohaia caught Flower off the ball with his forearm and was knocked to the ground by the Wigan prop’s first punch. He lay motionless on the turf as Flower landed a second blow on his face.

Hohaia was charged with a grade B offence of striking which normally carries a suspension of one or two matches.

Because of his previous record, the St Helens half-back was entitled to submit an early guilty plea to receive the smallest sanction and avoid a hearing.

“Lance Hohaia has accepted the EGP and will miss the first warm-up game of next season,” a St Helens spokesman said.

Saints has already spoken to Greater Manchester Police about the incident, with club chief executive Mike Rush expected to make an announcement after the hearing.

Rush pointed out that any decision to take legal action would be ultimately be made by Hohaia, who insisted in the immediate aftermath of Saturday’s 14-6 win over the Warriors that he bore no grudges against Flower.