I think maybe this thread has run its course

Not really. We might have more to say after Saturday...

I actually think it's doing quite a good job of keeping all the bitter and twisted bickering in one place so that it's less of a plague to the other threads.

Here's hoping that after all the accolades he's received recently, he makes me look a tw@ this weekend by tormenting the Kiwi's and engineering an England win.

If he does, I'll come back here and make a 'well done Rangi' post in massive, brightly coloured letters.

No doubt with 'you're still not good enough for England, though' in really small letters after.

Nope - there will no caveats, qualifiers or sarcastic asides, I promise.

Well done Rangi!!









Solid game - Hope the knee is Ok!

Isaac Luke = Dirty Thug

Benji Marshall needs smashing too. Clearly his intentions were on rubbing up Rangi than playing the game.

I thought that was Rangi's best game of the series so far. I think the criticism of him has been unfair. He's had the biggest mountain to climb of the whole team. It's his first international series, he hadn't played for a few weeks before the game against Wales, he hasn't ever played in a final and never at Wembley, and he was starting with the game divided over his right to play. Clearly he wants to play for us. He put his heart and soul into that game today and faced up to Benji Marshall good time (I enjoyed watching their face offs!). I hope he's gained confidence from his display and the team win, and goes on to even better things next week!

Thanks for the support!

I don't think he had a great game. He didn't do much, and certainly doesn't dominate like he does at Cas. He was a useful distraction though, because the Kiwis seemed more keen on getting at him than playing their own game, so he did have an impact.

Would prefer to see Sinfield and Widdop for next week, but Rangi did okay.

No surprise there.

Term broken record comes to mind.

I thought Rangi did a good job tonight, its his unpredictability that keeps everybody, even our own players guessing, I didnt think his place kicking was as good as it usually is but all in all a very good game, It was nice to see that after the dirty mother fo luke wound him up, Rangi started flyimg in with a few mis timed flying arms but he seemed to overcome that and not get drawn to there obvious tactics of injuring key players. As an fc fan, i really thought Kearny had more to him than that. All in all Well done Rangi and i hope you have an ace up your sleeve for next week.

Well done Rangi.

Thanks for those comments from Saints and Hull FC fans.



Reming me Slugger - how many Wakey players were on show last night ?

i dont think hes brought anything to the side really because he gets a free role at cas and when he has to play a more structured role it just makes him ineffective

I assume you didn't watch last night'sgame then?

yes i was there remind me what he did

He threw some great passes, he put serious doubts into the opposition with his jinking runs at the line, he worked hard in defence, he kicked a beauty of a grubber which won us a drop out (always the best second option when a try isn't happening) and stood up to the Kiwis, which is invaluable because it motivates the team to do likewise. He and Sam Tomkins especially were very heavily targeted. That me and many others noticed him for all the right reasons in spite of that shows just how much he brought to the party.

Someone else made the daft comment that he doesn't look like he's running the team in the way that he does at Cas. Well obviously. This is international rugby, not Superleague. He has been the standout player at Cas. He is now teamed up with other players who are the standout players in their club teams. That's what an international team should look like: full of standout players. To win requires a team effort and each player should be giving their all in their respective positions. I really got the impression that that is what happened yesterday and if it happens again next week then for the first time in donkey's years we have a real chance to beat the Aussies. Let's hope the whole team take it.

just one thing: he doesn't 'run the team' at Cas. That's what Danny Orr is there for.

It doesn't matter ahwta Rangi does there are certain people who will knock whatever he does, its getting really old, he had a good game last night, they all did despite playing a dirty team that should have had only 11 men on. Well done Rangi and the rest of the team you did England proud!!!

I think by the standard in what we see him produce at Cas week in week out he looked quiet (i.e. not much of his usual step through a gap for a break) - but he played like a proper Scrum Half yesterday, he took the ball to the line before passing it and kept the defence honest by doing this, with a player like Chase you don't know if he's going to dummy it, pass to the short man or go wide...this was evident in the Briscoe try where the line froze when Chase ran at them and Marshall took the short man who was coming through on a dummy run and Chase just then simply put the ball behind him which ended up with an easy try.

I'm not going to do the big coloured letters, because I don't think he did enough to deserve that. It was easily his best game thus far though and on balance, I think I prefer him doing less of that daft hopping and skipping and more of simply taking on the line.

The Kiwi's were clearly fearful of him, hence Isaac Luke's attempt to twist his leg off; I hope they throw the book at him - it was one of the most cynical and purposeful attempts to injur a fellow professional that I've seen since the Gareth Hock eye-gouging incident.

Well played Rangi!







You stood up to the bully boy tactics of the Kiwis and played your part in a scintillating victory.

Told ya :p

FWIW

The selection of Chase for the England squad is not the fault of Mr Chase or Castleford RLFC.

Based purely on form he was last season the best and most consistent H/B in SL in which case he has earned his place.

He has been picked now and that's that in real terms so it's live and let live for me.

His performances so far have been pretty good to be fair.

My own opinion is that he should not be picked because he isn't British by birth, nor has he as far as i'm aware applied to be a British citizen. He is a Kiwi, end of IMO - that is my belief and I simply can't see any justification for what has happened - morally at least.

It's not a Cas issue or a club issue for me, it's a belief. In 2004 -2005 Solomona IMHO was the best S/R in the world. Yet there was no technicality or justification that would of had me supporting his appointment to the GB squad had he so wished to do so. This I'm certain is a view that had it happened at the time would have been supported strongly by the very same people on this forum now falling over themselves to support the recently anglicised Rangi! Ditto any of the overseas players who have graced my club over the years. If that makes me a Cas basher so be it, however most reasonable Cas fans would I'm sure see it as a reasonable stance even if they themselves choose to see it otherwise.

Best of luck Rangi and I sincerely hope you prove to be worth it I really do.