Looking on the bright side, we'll have a stronger team to put out on Boxing Day with less Rhinos being picked for England duty.

What about sacrificing Roby and having Eastmond off the bench ?

Chris Bridge and Paul Sykes can kick goals anyway

Every cloud!!

If the game is refereed under international interpretations, the opportunities to scoot from dummy half will be limited anyway so I'd rather go with Moore from the start and Roby on the bench.

Briscoe, Fox, Smith, Bridge, Hall, McGuire, Eastmond, Graham, Moore, Peacock, Burgess, Ellis, Sinfield

Morley, Crabtree, Roby, Westwood

Have faith in the coach


Things were ty last year, but Smith has shown a past pattern of following good with bad with good.

I can't help but look at the backs, and think we will get mullered !

Looking at the squad though there is not much you can do with the backs other than the 7 you have picked Andy.

Whats changed though over the last few years ? People speak about looking forward, and picking players on form, but it boils down to the same issue, the forwards can hold their own but the backs are not good enough.

Even when we had Gleeson, and Senior, and Carney etc at their peak we very rarely turned the Aussies over. I fail to see how a back line with Briscoe, Smith, Bridge etc will do either.

Sorry to be such a pessemist, I should really be happy with Rugby League at the moment.

I will gladly let the squad picked prove me wrong, nothing would make me happier.

If Eastmond, Myler and Tomkins have been picked under the principle of preparing for the future why was Lee Smith selected at all?

You pick the best players for the job, for this tournament.

I feel for Rob and think he and McGuire should be the halves but, hey ho, I'll back the players he has picked. Even Paul Sykes.

Then, after backing them, I'll cheer for NZ against the Aussies in the final.

I disagree.

I wouldnt have thought wasps will be happy should he get injured now.

I think we should be blooding players arround for next years 4 Tri carneigie world cup nations what ever it's going to be called next time round.

I think we need to be trying to win this tournament otherwise we will never have a decent international scene if we aim for the next world cup all the time.

Why? Don't you want to try to win?
If Wasps are letting him play, other than that who cares what they think?

Wasps have no choice.

he's not a Wasps player yet. He's still a contracted Rugby league player and has expressed a desire to play international Rugby league.

I still don't understand how Smith rationalises his selection with "ones for the future" like Myler, Tomkins and Eastmond.

Perhaps Smith Snr has been told by Smith Jnr when he's signing for Warrington and Smith Jnr is very much part of the coaches plans in the near future?

There again Smith Snr hasn't yet committed himself to England beyond this tournament has he?

G! said "

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Wasps have no choice.

he's not a Wasps player yet. He's still a contracted Rugby league player and has expressed a desire to play international Rugby league.

I still don't understand how Smith rationalises his selection with "ones for the future" like Myler, Tomkins and Eastmond.
"
I thought his cotract woith us finished seasons end I.E october and has of November (1st of) he is a RFU player?

As far as I know, standard Super League contracts always run until the end of November.

This comes back to why I can't understand why they've never tried the Leeds triangle at International level.

On the rare occasions that Sinfield has played his preferred position his style hasn't fitted in with the halfbacks (probably a large part due to lack of international squad time that players get these days).

Tony Smith has so far been an almost wilfully bad international coach. The mismanagement, tactics, selection, media handling and results in the World Cup were just hideous. Picking Paul Sykes and Chris Bridge hardly makes me think that anything is changing.

FWIW I'd have had Senior in the team but not a departing Lee Smith (though given the other best fullback option is an out-of-it Leon maybe I'd have relented on that). TBH haven't seen enough of Richie Myler to fully judge but would also have Brough in there for his kicking game *because that's the only way we'll score tries with that backline*. Incidentally, second-guessing Tony Smith, I fully expect his team to have several players out of position, a deficit of forwards on the bench and nobody knowing what they're doing.

My team: Smith; Eastmond, Shenton, Senior, Hall; McGuire, Myler; Peacock, Diskin, Morley, Ellis, Burgess, Sinfield; Roby, Graham, Crabtree, O'Loughlin

Tony Smith's team: Briscoe; Fox, Smith, Ellis, Hall; Tomkins, McGuire; Morley, Moore, Graham, Peacock, Burgess, Sinfield; Roby, Eastmond, O'Loughlin, Carvell

Did 2007 not happen?

I expect Pryce to be a serious player again next year.

It did, with Rob Burrow winning man of the series.

Does this mean we have only won two on the bounce now and not three?

2008 was so bad that it wiped all other years away...

Burrow not in??? Tony Smith may have well of burnt his magic hat and stomped all over it!!

With or without Burrow we'll finish 3rd.........but Myler and Eastmond ahead of him at scrum half? What's Tony Smith been smoking?

I'd go
1. Briscoe
2. Fox
3. Eastmond
4. Smith
5. Hall
6. Sinfield
7. McGuire
8. Morley
9. Moore
10. Peacock
11. Ellis
12. Burgess
13. O'Loughlin

14. Roby
15. Graham
16. Carvell
17. Westwood

Perhaps Burrow is about to have an operation and this has ruled him out? I can't see any other reason to leave him out. The same applies to Diskin who's had a far more impressive 2nd half of the season than Moore.

As others have said the backline looks pretty woeful in comparison with Australia and New Zealand. How come we can't produce decent backs anymore? It wasn't that long ago when we could boast the likes of Robinson, Offiah, Schofield, Lydon, Ford, Gill, Hanley etc.

Given the complete lack of any proven talent in the backline I'd go with the following 17 but the backline is wafer thin. I'd soon play Andy Gilder at centre than Paul Sykes.

Smith
Fox
Shenton
Eastmond
Hall
McGuire
Tompkins
Graham
Moore
Peacock
Ellis
O'Loughlin
Sinfield

Bridge
Burgess
Morley
Roby

Cheers Sam for choosing me as the ultimate definition of mediocrity.