Had we had a fully fit squad to chose from we may have actually run the Aussies close, but as it stands anything under a 20 point defeat against NZ or AU will be acceptable.

Are there any 'highlights' online yet?

against a weakened Aussie side? No
against the side the that we faced at Elland Road last November? No chance

You went to Elland Road? I did. I saw us running them close until Shenton was carried off and then we leaked tries on his edge. I think that the Aussies were bemused by the Tomkins and Eastmond combo last year and had Shenton remained on the field, we could have beaten them at Elland Road.

A game lasts for eighty minutes and not until someone gets injured three quarters into the match. However I still think that we have some chances ain this four nations if this England squad plays to their abilities for eighty minutes and stays fit.

But the warm up games against Cumbria and NZM where probably the least promising warm up games that I have seen in my lifetime.

Lets up the action really starts this Saturday!

The two warm up games have been very poor, hope they can do better next week but can't see it.

Appart from a few players most are very average at Sl level.

Absolutely. But we were still challenging the Aussies until that point. Had Shenton not been injured and so our somewhat frail confidence and skill level been significantly disrupted, we might actually have done a job on them last year. We won't this year but last year we could have. We will never know now though.


A whole lot better than a warm up against France, when we all feel great after a win but actually we were crap with a worse opposition. The Maori actually gave us a game. That is exactly what we needed as preparation, not some walkover.

yes I was sat next to the big screen, thank you



yeah first half we competed



No they werent, we couldnt compete on fitness levels and with 25/30mins to go they turned it on and destroyed us.

Completely agree loz when they upped the gears we looked like we were playing against 20 of them.
Too fast ,too strong ,too skillfull and too fecking good.

That first half we competed and stood up to them, but this proved to be our downfall as it killed us on the fitness front, Saintsfan can blame it on Shenton injury but unfortuantly he is looking through rose tinted specs there

Worryingly (on that performance) Hall has returned to the player who first stepped up to first grade level at Leeds. Hopefully it was just the after-effects of jet lag but there was no zip, no energy and no gas.

With Morley out, Fielden and Graham need to stand up and be counted (Crabtree and Griffin both went OK.) Roby still looks better coming off the bench rather than starting so I would stick Robinson in there to start.

Tomkins is the only other attacking threat though and that is another major problem.

I read someone on Twitter say Halls performance yesterday was best described as "turnstyle" esq

i don't think shenton staying on the field would have made a difference, as no doubt england would have done as usual and turned off for 5/10 minutes. These 5/10 minutes are what always cost us the game, allows the aussie to score 2/3/4 quick fire tries all but ruling us out of the game. The game at elland road it just happened towards the end of the game, other games such as the world cup stuffing, it was earlier on allowing AUS to build up to a comfortable win.

if england could play for the full 80, then we wouldn't be in such a bad state.

Its exactly the same as when Leeds or other top side play a lower placed one though. Its very common for lower-placed sides to 'compete' for 50 or 60 minutes and then fall apart. You simply cannot say that 'if they could compete for 80 minutes they'd be OK' - they don't do it because they CAN'T do it.

In defence of our threequarters, our defence out wide looks a shambles in part because our much vaunted pack of world domination is never actually able to do much to help when the ball's moved wide, in much the same way as they also don't in helping create space via dummy-runs etc when we have the ball.

England had just leaked 2 tries in 5 minutes down Shenton's side before he got injured.

Anyone that thinks we genuinely thinks we ever looked like beating the Aussies at Elland Road last year is seriously deluded!

In that last 20 minutes they scored pretty much when they wanted to!

FGB named skipper. news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_l ... 100857.stm I thought it would have been O'Loughlin.

FGB named skipper. news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_l ... 100857.stm I thought it would have been O'Loughlin.

Quote ="Old Feller"FGB named skipper. news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_l ... 100857.stm I thought it would have been O'Loughlin.'" A buckling coach, with a captain who can be 'got at'..............great.

Quote ="Old Feller"FGB named skipper. news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_l ... 100857.stm I thought it would have been O'Loughlin.'" A buckling coach, with a captain who can be 'got at'..............great.

I didn't see England - NZ M's how did Toopi do?

Quote ="Old Feller"FGB named skipper. news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_l ... 100857.stm I thought it would have been O'Loughlin.'" Whats with the obessession with Props as captains, given that at most they should only spend 60mins on the pitch. O'Louchlin would have been my choice

Quote ="Old Feller"FGB named skipper. news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_l ... 100857.stm I thought it would have been O'Loughlin.'" Whats with the obessession with Props as captains, given that at most they should only spend 60mins on the pitch. O'Louchlin would have been my choice

Graham might do one of his 80 minute stints...

Either way, I think it's a good choice. The gobbing off to ref's thing is a trait Edwards, Muphy, T. Bishop and Hanley all had and they were great captains.

I just hope the rest of the team shows some aggresion next week. We cant afford another poor display against the rabble that is PNG.

Sadly, given the fact that rugby nous seems to have gone down hill in the last 20 years, I think i'll be disappointed.

I sincerely hope not, he looked completely knackered in the Grand Final so I can't see him performing for a whole game at an even higher level of intensity.

teams have got wise to graham. we ran at him virtually every play in the first 20 minutes of the semi final and,quite understandably, he was shot and cost saints points.
he needs to be used in spells and used right. however with mcnabanana in charge............................

Correct.

Won't stop the blindingly ted "Shenton got injured, otherwise England WOULD OF won" opinions to continue doing the rounds though.

I had a wager on Australia to win that match by 24+ points. I was confident of that wager being successful before Shenton got injured.

We might lose by more than 48 points?

OTOH, if we don't, he's done a better job than Tony Smith did.