The match on Saturday will not be a walkover for England. However England must win, and win convincingly. Otherwise nobody, including the England players, will take their prospects against Australia or New Zealand seriously. A defeat at the hands of Samoa will be the end of English morale, and will undermine the rugby league public's interest in half of the tournament. It should also mean the end of Steven McNamara's tenure as coach of England.

So Saturday morning's game is indeed do or dire.

Do you mean do or die?

Or does he mean that anything other than an easy win would be a dire result?

When I saw the title of this thread I just knew it would be this drama queen who started it. I think someone needs to find a new hobby.

Just a win by any margin would be a good result for me.no warm up game and they have some decent players who will be fired up.im sure they will target us as the winable game too.

The sooner McNamaras tenure is over with the better, How could anyone pick Joel Tompkins ahead of Elliot Whitehead. Whitehead has had a superb season where Tompkins has been mediocre at best. In SMs favour he has named James Graham as captain in the absence of SOL although he should have been named captain from the off.

Not quite, but almost.

Take a look at Samoa's team. A monster pack of forwards, quality halves, and brilliant speedy outside backs. If England's forwards do not dominate, the Samoan backs will run riot.

Except for Ryan Hall England is totally outclassed in the three quarter line. Samoa's Richard Leutele and Joseph Leilua in the centres are an ace pairing. Joshua Charnley's defensive weaknesses may well be exposed on Saturday.

Quality halves? Do you watch any NRL at all? Their playmaking spine (1, 6, 7, 9) is poor. They'll be very physical for sure, but whether they have much guile is very open to question.

The Samoa No 6 is Ben Roberts has had an excellent season with Melbourne Storm. He has flourished under the coaching of Craig Bellamy. Kyle Stanley is not a specialist scrum half, for sure, but he is a good player.

The Samoan full back is Tim Simona, who is a specialist centre. But he is lightning fast, and if his kick catching is sound he will be a threat from full back.

The only real weakness in the team is hooker Sio.

Of the 25 man Samoan Squad, 2 were actually born in Samoa, 11 in Australia and 12 in New Zealand.

The Domestic competition in Samoa contained 10 teams in the last completed season (2014) and no players from this competition are included in their 4 Nations Squad. Neither of the Samoan born players (Penani Manumalealii or Tim Lafai) are in the 17 to play England.

This is the first TOP TIER meeting of the countries, with the only previous meeting in 2006 when England hosted Samoa in Hull whilst Great Britain were playing in New Zealand.
Samoa are ranked #7 in the world to England's 3rd place.
Tickets for this game and the following game between the top 2 teams in the world are available from AU $35.68 each (20 QUID) at the 52,500 capacity Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane.

England should win this game comfortably.

England should win this game. But whether or not it will win, and whether it will win comfortably, is not assured.

[urlhttps://www.tab.co.nz/sport/#1623[/url
Either an opportunity from Lazy Bookmakers (happened before...Harlequins RL July 20th 2008...we had 5 players banned from the previous weeks brawl with the filthy French Scum but the bookies gave 5/1 on Castleford who were relegated that year).... or an accurate reflection of what should happen this weekend?
You decide, but I'll have a cheeky $50 on Samoa.

This is another gripe i have about International Rugby League. Surely to encourage growth at local level X amount of players should be included in the 25 man squad from the local Comp?

Ben Roberts had an excellent season?????

You are having a laugh!

Wasn't a patch on widdop all season

Don't you mean Benjamin and Timothy?

I came across these great summaries of both England & Samoa .... I think they are pretty spot on!!! England ----> www.guyjest.com/rugby-league-tea ... s-edition/ Samoa ----> www.guyjest.com/rugby-league-tea ... s-edition/ Thoughts?

I came across these great summaries of both England & Samoa .... I think they are pretty spot on!!! England ----> www.guyjest.com/rugby-league-tea ... s-edition/ Samoa ----> www.guyjest.com/rugby-league-tea ... s-edition/ Thoughts?

Yes!

Quote ="Cambop"I came across these great summaries of both England & Samoa .... I think they are pretty spot on!!! England ----> www.guyjest.com/rugby-league-tea ... s-edition/ Samoa ----> www.guyjest.com/rugby-league-tea ... s-edition/ Thoughts?'" This guy jest is a real cynic. The basic fact is that James Graham and the Burgess twins can win it for England. The only backup reinforcements for the following week are O'Loughlin and Whitehead. If England don't beat Samoa it is indeed dire.

Quote ="Cambop"I came across these great summaries of both England & Samoa .... I think they are pretty spot on!!! England ----> www.guyjest.com/rugby-league-tea ... s-edition/ Samoa ----> www.guyjest.com/rugby-league-tea ... s-edition/ Thoughts?'" This guy jest is a real cynic. The basic fact is that James Graham and the Burgess twins can win it for England. The only backup reinforcements for the following week are O'Loughlin and Whitehead. If England don't beat Samoa it is indeed dire.

Samoa were beaten by Fiji weren't they in the World cup? And we beat them pretty convincingly too.

I think it will be hard, as International Rugby should be, but I am looking for an England win.
This will be, in their mind, a target win, but that doesn't mean they will.

Bookies giving Samoa a 14 point start on the handicap, they dont seem to think it will be a walkover.

im looking forward too it anyway, come on England!

They have no spine. We'll win by nearly 20.

it'll be tough up the middle but smith and widdop are a class above.

To suggest that Samoa has no spine when five eighth Benjamin Roberts has had an excellent season with Melbourne Storm, and full back Timothy Simona is one of the fastest players in the NRL, is the height of delusion. Moreover scrum half Kyle Stanley has first grade experience. The only weakness in the Samoa spine is the hooker.

If your delusions are shared by anyone in the England team then England is more likely to lose.

Roberts is poor. If he was any good he would have signed for an NRL team as a back up, instead he's gone to cas.

Simona is an exception talent, but he is a centre and is injury prone.

Kyle Stanley struggled to get a game for a team who played Micheal witt instead.

Sio is average.

Saying that spine is average is generous, they will ship 50 points on at least one occassion in this series.

34:18 to England.