In my opinion this is the best possible team:

[iJosh Hoffman

Jason Nightingale, Simon Mannering, Krisnan Inu, Roger Tuivasa-Sheck

Kieran Foran
Shaun Johnson

Elijah Taylor
Sonny Bill Williams, Frank Pritchard
Jared Waerea-Hargreaves, Isaac Luke, Jesse Bromwich[/i

Interchange: [iThomas Leuluai, Frank-Paul Nu'uasala, Sam Kasiano, Sam Moa[/i


Best forward pack in the World Cup. So if they dominate their opponents, the halves will have a field day.


As for the perhaps controversial selections:

* Simon Mannering currently plays second row for the Warriors. But there is a surplus of classy back rowers and a shortage of quality centres for the Kiwis. Mannering happens to have played a lot of centre in his younger days.

* Josh Hoffman has been in much better form than Kevin Locke lately.

* Roger Tuivasa-Sheck was Dally M winger of the year. Manu Vatuvei was not.


I cannot see England beating this team.

really!! i thought the Kiwis were bringing a load of mugs



Seriously though,of course should England and NZ meet it will be tough.That said, the Kiwis can blow hot and cold in this country and dont always live up to potential.England are capable of beating them IMO,much more so than the Aussies who hold a massive psychological hold on us.But you are right you would have to have them as favourites against us.

England are more than good enough to compete with this team. Our pack can be as powerful as theirs, and is (baring Money Bill) a bit more creative. And the backline doesn't scream strike power. RTS is a magician yes, but the rest are just OK.

It's a superb looking team.

The Kiwis problem will be the same as it always is, themselves, they seem to not show up in this country.

That team will be hard to beat.
SBW, Waerea-Hargreaves and Luke are all better than their English counterparts IMO.
The NZ Halves are better than the England Halves IMO.
The Wingers are pretty good, they fall down in the Centres, Mannering has had his day as a Centre and Inu is too erratic to depend upon.

The weakest link may be the Coach, they had Wayne Bennett pulling the strings when they won the World Cup.

Nobody said it would be easy............

Am I alone in the view that Issac Luke is a touch overrated? Granted I've only caught a handful of the Rabbitohs games this year but he just doesn't do as much for me as the other hookers people place in the "world class" bracket.

I don't see how you can comment if you've only seen him play a few times this season?
Luke is a brilliant hooker, easily one of the best in the WC.

Doubt Mannering will play centre - I think Dean Whare is much more likely or even Bryson Goodwin.
Also think Manu Vatuvei will still be first choice but it is close, fullback choice is really close but i'd go with Locke over Hoffman - don't agree that he hasn't been in form lately and his link up with Shaun Johnson is very potent.

Kiwis look better than they have ever been but England don't play them yet (and indeed may not do) so I'd rather not lose any sleep over it.

How mouth watering is the clash of the kiwi v English packs? Can't wait!

Good side but beatable. We may worry how to cope with Johnson, SBW, Luke etc but they will be worrying about Tomkins, S Burgess, Roby and co.

As and when we meet it should be a very good game and it will be close. They don't hold that fear factor for us like the Aussies do.

A pack of forwards in which you can't find a place for Greg Eastwood, Ben Matulino and Alex Glenn has to be awesome.

I think that the Kiwis pack will roll over Australia's pack, as well as everyone else's --- and that is assuming that Sonny Bill Williams just has an average game, which he won't (he has made a big issue of playing for this World Cup)!.

As I say then it will be up to the Kiwi halves to capitalise on it, and they are more than capable of doing that. Having a big unit like Mannering in the centres (he still has some pace as well) will make it very tough for opposing three quarters. He will feed either Nightingale or Tuivasa-Sheck, as will Sonny Bill and Frank Pritchard. Those three edge runners are going to be a handful for opposing three quarters, including Australia's. I just don't see Watkins and Cudjoe handling them, not to mention Charnley.

I am going to put money on New Zealand to win the World Cup again.

Has Eastwood improved/lost weight since he was at Leeds? Decent player but certainly not in Westwood or Hocks league when they're on top form. I've not seen enough of the other two to comment tbh.

I'm loathed to blow too much smoke up the Kiwi's or Aussies backsides. They're both fantastic teams and we have that mental barrier to get over with the Aussies but we have some extremely talented players of our own. We're third favourites and rightfully so but we've got a good side and we'll have some huge crowds cheering us on.

Third favourites and rightfully so? Do you not think we should be joints with NZ? Our side is more than a match for NZ. We seem to do ourselves a disservice. Australia is a whole other ball-game, but there isn't much between us and the Kiwis.

england v nz final.

I'd have us as third favourites on the basis of the Kiwis record in big tournaments compared to ours. I don't think Theres a great deal between the sides on paper.

That crowd I mentioned could really make a difference though. If we get 60k plus cheering us on at Wembley we'll stand a real chance (that's assuming we'd play the kiwis).

Interesting set of forwards, let’s take a look at them

Kasiano and Pritchard were pretty average in an average Bulldogs pack this year which only looked anywhere near its 2012 form when James Graham returned to the team (its telling that Graham was voted Bulldogs player of the year for 2013 despite receiving a 12 game ban in the last game of 2012)

Sam Moa wouldn’t get anywhere near the England 17 and isn’t as good as Crabtree who didn’t make the England squad

Waerea-Hargreaves is world class and would make any world 17 (although he is always on a knife edge disciplinary wise and can be wound up)

Isaac Luke is a good 9, not in the same class as Smith but probably on a par with Roby and McIlorum

Taylor, Nu'uasala and Bromwich are good NRL first graders, that’s about it really

Which leaves Sonny Bill Williams. Clearly a hugely talented and athletic Rugby League player but will he have the luxury of playing his Roosters game with the Kiwi’s – namely play in the centres for 60 minutes on the back of a dominant pack throwing off-loads and then take a few drives in the last 20 minutes so the commentators cream themselves about his stamina and work-rate

All in all, an average international pack for me

Sam Moa would get into the England squad.

I guess it’s all about opinions but personally I wouldn’t swap him for any of the English front rowers who I think offer more go forward (and I do think Crabtree is a better front rower than Moa – although I would have had Crabtree in the England squad as he has always done well internationally)

I agree that Moa would get in the England squad given his fantastic form this season. I think Warea-Hargreaves is getting a bit too much praise and I fancy the Burgess props to sort him out and leave Sam to sort out Sonny Bill. I think their halves/hooker combo is better than ours with Foran, Johnson, Luke and Leuluai and I wouldn't rule out RTS to play at fullback and play Vatuvei and Nightingale as the wingers as he has stated plenty that it is his preferred position. Can't believe anybody realistically reckons Micky Mac is even in Lunt's league nevermind that of Luke, Roby or Smith.

I really rate Lunt and he unlucky that hooker is one of our most competitive positions. As for McIlloram I wasn't a big fan but he's been very good in the second half of the season and in the play off's in particular. Plus he has a real competitive streak and that bit of mongrel in him that I want in the England team

I agree with you regarding Crabtree. I think he is a glaring omission from the England squad. He had a wonderful season, as did Moa. So I think going on the past year, Moa would have been included.

Eastwood would walk into the England side. On form he's better than any other England 2nd rower.

Disagree with this, especially "on form" as I think he has played OK this season but hardly anything special.

If Vatuvai plays, we put Hall and Watkins up against him. Two big strong players who are best placed to negate Vatuvai’s physicality, and two players who could have an absolute field day against him in the air. Mannering and Nightingale aren’t going to strike fear in to many back partnerships.

Upfront I’d take Roby over Luke, but that is a very big pack which could get on top of any in the world. Kasiano, Moa, the wrecking ball all three are huge men. Warea-Hargreaves can be massive in defence. The 2nd row has great handling skills. The halves are good but no Australia, Hoffman or Locke are two poor mens Tomkins.

Should be an absolutely great game, if NZ’s huge pack gets on top and their offloads stick England are in serious trouble. If that huge weighty pack doesn’t, it will tire and England will get plenty of space. If Burgess, Burgess and Graham can bend that line and get a few offloads away and get the Kiwis going backwards, the likes of Burrow, Tomkins, Chase and Roby can have a field day, if we can get some decent field position I fancy Hall and Watkins to be able to get through Inu, Vatuvai, Goodwin, Whare Tuivasa-Scheck in any combination. If, however that huge kiwi pack gets a trundle on we are in a bad spot.