Just watched Saturdays game with a cool head and on reflection we really could have won that game.

We missed 3 forwards to their one full back injury wise.

We were on the end of some bad calls-Briscoe try and Williams head shot on Westwood.

Rangi Chase kicking to them on the 20m restart, they scored.
Rangi Chase passing to them in the 2nd half, they scored.

I'm really really not scared of this Aussie team, I am worried that Rangi Chase and Ben Westwood look out of their league, but at the same time Darius Boyd looked nervy at full back, Williams should be banned and Slater is out. Inglis looks frustrated at himself, probably at his fitness.

Williams won't be banned. They laughed it off. Joke refereeing, but there is no way they will ban him for 2 games.

The two Hall tries were bright moments in an otherwise depressing game. Australia can score at will and in a tight game, we have no chance of holding them out if they have a set in our 20. A simple ball deep ball wide with a few dummy runners is more than enough to carve England up.

The same cannot be said for the other end as Sinfield's play in that area of the pitch was farcical.

Australia hold back against England, there is no doubt about it. They respect the international game and don't want to fly around the world to smash England to pieces. You can see this by the fact that whenever it gets tasty, they score.

Yet they'll no doubt smash Wales to pieces tomorrow?

Why do people come up with such negative comments about their own team?!

They lost their cool by starting scrapping though.
Also England should have took a second at 24-16 when we had the ball in their 20 and Peacock knocked on.

I watched the game back and would drop Westwood for next week. He's an absolute liability.

Just like Scott Moore - plays with everything he has, but unfortunately that does not include a brain.

It's reality. You can tell by the interviews at the end as well, "Yeah, they kept us pretty honest". Plenty of those sorts of comments. We conceeded 36 points and people want to eulogise about it. Our goalline defending is amateurish.

I'd agree, but forwards look like they're a bit thin on the ground. Definately not international class-in my opinion.

You forgot the Rangi chase ball steal. Some cas fans called me an idiot for saying chase is overrated, still stand by my comments. As for the game, dress it up all you like... we lost again.

I'm not sure, but I can't rule out you probably actually believe that crapola too

Are the stats for the game available anywhere yet?

I actually enjoyed the game, which in comparison to the Four Nations of 2 years a go is a far cry as I sat and just hoped England would keep it close. The game been at Wembley definitely added something to it and hopefully this is something that can be continued.

Did they call you a racist too?

Personally, I think Chase is a classic example of a 'big fish in a small pond' kind of player; he shows sufficient flashes of brilliance to keep the Cas faithful enthralled, but he lacks the application, intensity and work ethic to cut it at international level.

Widdops a better player than Chase, of that I have no doubt. I'd maybe take the risk of changing halfbacks and putting him in for Chase.

If you are going to change the halfbacks, it is Sinfield who should go first. He's never a halfback in a million years. Loose forward or nothing.

Even though he never plays there? That number 13 on his back can be confusing to people who don't actually watch the game.

In fact he played there 3 times last year in SL. Out of 27 games.

You know, if he'd spent his Leeds career with the number 6 jersey, if he were ever selected at loose forward, the same people would come out with comments like
"He clearly a half back rather than a loose"

True!

Spot on. If you concede 36 points you are not up to standard whichever way you look at it. I can udestand the "glass half full" mentality but so many people on here think we can feed the 5,000 from a leftover pie.

How true. I was thinking exactly this last year, when Aus put 34 on NZ, a week before NZ beat them in their own back yard in the Final. That's the sort of substandard you need.

We could have beaten Australia...but in the moments that matter, we didn't deliver. Australia didn't bully us or look miles better....just were far more clinical when it mattered. Yes, they had a few loose carries and pulled some stunts - high shots and slowing the game down in the tackle...but at the end of the day we lost.

I think we only have one beating of Australia in us each year (if that) so beating them on Saturday wouldn't have been a change in power. I think if we can play with that confidence again and with a fully fit pack on the field then we can beat them.....I for one hope that one win comes in 2 weeks in the final. No one will remember Wembley if that happens.

NZ are strong, but we can and must beat them.

Again, no reason we can't win the 4N's people...just need to deliver where it matters for 2 weeks running from now onwards.

excellent post!!!!

Ben Westwood conceding 4 penalties and missing a tackle on the try line, they scored
Kirk Yeaman being out of position, they scored
Tom Briscoe letting the ball bounce from every up & under, England put under pressure
Kevin Sinfield not paying attention leading to 3 knock ons, they scored
Jamie Peacock not paying attention leading to a knock on, they scored
Heighington gets run over by Williams, they score
Ellis, Graham & Peacock getting injured, England lose all go forward and lose
3 sets on the Aussie line, no composure by anyone on the team, no points from it

Instead of singling one player out, why not show a bit of balance? Chase has been far from the worst player so far, and has had to do the job of 2 halfbacks because Sinfield has been too slow, not paying attention and generally not been effective.



And how do you get that? So far Widdop has done nothing in the game time he's got and when he plays for Melbourne they don't trust him to do much either, everything goes through Slater, Smith & Cronk first.

Cas Fan in "I love Chase" Shocker.

You criticising other players (often wrongly), does not in anyway detract from the fact that Chase cost England the chance of winning that game.

Without Chase's errors, those other players wouldn't even have been defending!

Take off your mucky yellow tinted glasses.

Erm....so Chase missing touch from the tap 20 giving Australia the ball inside their half and scoring from long range is Rangi Chase's fault? Not all 13 players on the pitch for not being good enough to stop a team scoring from 70 metres out.

The 2 on 1 ball steal was a loose carry so should have been a knock on, scrum to England, the pass at the end resulted in an interception from the England player not even looking (for the 6th time in the game).

It's all well and good blaming 1 player in a team game, well done you're making 1 player the scapegoat because he isn't "English" ever since he was picked this whole forum has looked bigoted with the appalling attitude towards not just Chase being picked but Heighington and for some bizarre reason Jack Reed too...and people wonder why nobody takes the game seriously with "fans" like you





Wakey fan in bigoted attitude shocker

if it was anyone else making these mistakes, nobody would be saying anything...like where is the KEVIN SINFIELD SHOULD BE DROPPED thread? Shocking kicking percentage and multiple handling errors in both games so far.



You take off your "saved by the Welsh" glasses.

I'm not saying Chase didn't make mistakes, I'm saying blaming him solely for the loss is really incredibly stupid when 9/10ths of the team all made at least 1 error, the main reason England lost is losing Ellis & Graham to game ending injuries and Peacock playing on one leg.

When all 3 were fit Chase, Roby & Tomkins were killing the Aussies pretty much every set, they were too fast and elusive for them.