Oh,I agree with you.My call before the WC began was to play Sinfield/Widdop in the halves.

Just seems very strange and out of character of McNamara he seemed dead set on the Sinfield/Chase combo.Big game to do it when he had chances to change earlier and see if Widdop and Sinfield went better.

Not saying its the wrong call though

The only problem I have with this is Widdop comes in cold after very little game time, a big risk in my opinion but let's see what happens

I'd question the timing more than the decision itself. He wasn't great on Saturday, but by that token you could drop most of the team. How much time have Sinfield and Widdop had playing together? Big call, hope it works.

Big call. Would have expected him to stick with chase for the whole tournament.

Big call by McNamara. Had he been seriously considering this before he would have played Widdopp last match, so I wouldn't be surprised if it was indeed that game that has cost Chase.

McNamara's the first England coach to stick with a halfback pairing and really give it a chance to develop, something for which too few fans will ever give him credit. He's obviously decided that it just wasn't happening. Ideally a game earlier to give Widdopp a full game with Sinfield, but I can understand his desperate hope that Chase would start to put together 80 minute performances.

He doesn't have quality options like Australia who could be brought in and expected to step up (and who also play with each other several times a year at least), or a no-brainer first-choice pairing like NZ.

Rumours on twitter that Chase has left the camp...

Plus side is widdop is chomping at the bit and wants to put in a big performance to prove himself. With burrow on the bench as well England's attack looks pretty potent

There is also another half back in the 19 who Sinfield has a great deal of experience playing alongside.

Can't imagine Chase has been dropped for playing reasons. Thought he has shown up reasonably well, and if McNamara has left it until now to realise he doesn't like him in the halves then I would be amazed. Chase has done what he has always done in an England shirt, which I assume was what the coach was expecting? If he wasn't expecting what he got from Chase then he's the only one in the country.

There are more teddies flying around in the England camp than at a 2 year olds bring a bear tea party.

Maybe having a tantrum is the way forward for the players under Steve Mac?

It was reported that Widdop last week had a one on one moan with Mac with his bottom lip out.

Look at him now, likely to be in starting line up for WC semi!

Let's be honest with ourselves here

A guy who is a flat track bully who has just quit Cas to go play for Salford

Or an NRL star player


...our coach is off his t1ts

We'll see how much of an "NRL star player" Widdop is next year, when he doesn't have that outstanding spine at Melbourne of Slater, Cronk and Smith around him.

At the moment, he's not IMO. He's a decent player, but that's it.

It is a bold move, so late in the comp though.

Mac has persevered with the Chase/Sinfield pairing for so long, makes you wonder whether its a planned strategic move or a press on the panic button.

Or panic as 'Super Chase' is off to witness birth of his child

Yeah and next year we will see Chase with all those world beaters at...

Oh yeah...

See Danny Brough is up for best player in the world along with Billy Slater and Sonny Bill Williams.
One of the best in the world. Makes McNamara look like a real chump.

But as McNamara already has the best player in the world at 7 I reckon he probably feels alright about it. HTH

Brough wandered off as he wasn't adored.

bless.

Ian Kirke only just missed the cut then

These Hudds. fans are still very bitter!

Not strictly true. He's shortlisted for International Player of the Year.

A bizarre choice for the shortlist. But all it does is highlight Brough's pathetic attitude, that and of course his attitude towards his team mates in the game vs New Zealand.

Is Kirke playing in this World Cup.? Never actually notice whether he is playing or not: he still makes the same impact.

Playing Chase and Sinfield together all this time to drop one for the crunch match smacks of panic and/or appeasement to another apparent whinger to me. So much for the team building overseas camp. Pathetic.

Either way England will come to the end of their far from convincing campaign this weekend. No one has shone apart from Ferres, Hall, Roby and George Burgess. So much for props having to be 'mature' to be effective.

Footnote: Graham looks on decent form too.

Last desperate throw of the dice from a coach with limited vision and ability, but as with all sporting contests a bit of luck may go our way. One or two referees decisions may be cast in our favour and if we are smart enough to grasp these we may win.
One school of thought I have heard the past few days is a few people hoping the kiwis will win, this so the final between the kiwis and Aussies will be a better match than us and the Aussies .

Sam Burgess has been by far our most effective forward.

Danny Brough wasn't available for selection for the world cup as he became really, really very Scottish indeed, coincidentally around the same time he was left out of a mid-season training squad.

Well, actually he became Scottish again. Sort of re-Scottish.

It makes somebody look like a chump, but this time it isn't the England coach.