Correct. Too often RL let's momentum dwindle after good progress.

England not playing one game at home in 2014 after a positive 2013 World Cup was ridiculous, I was sat at Wembley for the 2013 Semi's surrounded by Southern accents all enjoying one of the best games I've ever seen...then we just go off the radar for 2 years

In previous world cups the quarter finals were the worst stage - 3 games were just the big 3 handing out drubbings, and the other game was to decide who was going to come 4th.
Today we had 2 great games, and tomorrow's game might be at least worth watching.

yes great result for fiji !

new zealand have had a shocker

the tonga game was also very close which many thought would be easy win for tonga.

up next a good win for england we all hope, well majority!!

can still see it being australia v england in the final and hopefully gaining revenge!! but the aussies are looking great

I thought Lebanon were robbed it's like the powers needed Tonga in the semis

yeh lebanon very unlucky... two tries chalked off

if england win it will be a baptism of fire in the semi final where they are playing will be 20k tongan fans!

That was the most depressing atmosphere at a RL game I can ever recall........I was given some spare tickets yesterday and left them behind the bar at my local to be given away.......nobody wanted them.

I'm not sure if they've announced the gate yet but I'll be surprised if it is 5 figures. I can't understand how they can get a 35k sell out for a soccer game last week but can't even get half that for a World Cup Quarter Final?

Lebanon's 'chalked off' tries were all correct decisions, though. But a great performance from them.

The one chalked off for obstruction was a joke

On the field it's been a great tournament. The organisers have let the game down off the field but I expected nothing else but apathy from the Aussie public.

The game really needs to take the opportunities that are presenting themselves during this tournament. If the Aussie powers that be and general public don't care for international rugby then cut them out. I'd be more then happy to see England play more games against Tonga, PNG, Fiji etc. A tour down under to play those teams at the end of 2018 would be exciting.

Why did Aus even bid for it??

football is king im afraid

another 5am start next saturday for us then!

going to be a cracking atmosphere

we will need to cut out the errors to get the win

mcgillvary , walmsley and roby head and shoulders above the rest of our team

And Widdop.

not really, bennett still doesnt know where to play him.. hardly pulling up trees either at full back or in the halves

Thought Widdop was excellent at fullback today. I've thought he looked like a fullback trying to play in the halves for us for a few years now and it looks comfortable out the back.

Not here is isn't......the Wellington Phoenix play in the Aussie A-league and struggle to get 7k to games...it's only the All Whites that folk are interested in. My first game at the cake tin was England v New Zealand in the 2010 4 Nations when we got 21,000 to the game.....The warriors got 30k for the Bulldogs in 2013, 22k for the Tigers game in 2014 down here...the Bulldogs took their home game here in 2016 and got 18k...in total 9 NRL games have been played in Wellington with an average of 21k.....that's better than the local Super Rugby side get....the difference is that those games are marketed and there has been little if any marketing done for this one game here in Wellington.
There's an audience down here for League but they need to be engaged....

My standout players from tier 2 countries

1 Kevin Naiqama - Fiji
2 David Fusitu'a - Tonga
3 Nene MacDonald - PNG
4 Aku Uate - Fiji
5 Suliasi Vunivalu - Fiji
6 Mitchell Moses - Lebanon
7 Ata Hingano - Tonga
8 Andrew Fifita - Tonga
9 Michael Lichaa - Lebanon
10 Ashton Sims - Fiji
11 Rhyse Martin - PNG
12 Viliame Kikau - Fiji
13 Jason Taumalolo - Tonga

14 James Segeyaro - PNG
15 Tim Mannah - Lebanon
16 Herman Ese'ese - Samoa
17 Sio Siua Taukeiaho - Tonga

Sorry your right about that BBC have not shown live England RU games, in reality its even worse, the friendly I saw the BBC were showing was Scotland vs Samoa in a friendly, so a match with considerably less of an audience than an England RU game, yet when Scotland played Samoa in the RLWC it was not shown live.

I don't understand why we dont just give the RLWC to SKY, they would probably show all the games live and the BBC can still do their little highlights shows if they want them.

Anyway it doesnt matter where the games are shown because the idiots who have organised the tournament have put Englands SF on at 4 in the morning next week instead of playing the game a few hours when people might be awake.

Scotland v Samoa in Union (ATT 67,000) is of course a far lesser draw than England in Union but it'll still have dwarfed the Scotland v Samoa at League game watched by 4,309 bored souls in Cairns.
There was general disbelief on League forums 4 years ago when the figures for Ireland v AB's on BBC on the 24th of November 2013 were greater than those for the previous days action from Wembley on the BBC......but as your so keen on REALITY.......that's the reality of where our sport sits in the British Public's awareness.

Agree with most but I'd look at some of these getting in. Don't think Sims has been particularly great all tournament but stepped up against NZ.

Alex Twal - workhorse and sets a good platform with Mannah
Pangai-Junior - been great off the bench
Morgan Knowles - stand out in an awful Wales team. Okay would never get in over Taumalolo.
Saifiti - see Pangai

Agree about Knowles. In fact, I have to say, most of the Saints contingent have had pretty good World Cups so far.

His workrate in defence is a level above most. Wales missed 151 tackles across their 3 games which is shocking, but Knowles was accountable for just 2 of those. He made 122 tackles across the 3 games. Despite playing a game less he'd be in the top 10 for tackles in the tournament, as would Luke Douglas.

Ashton Sims had the best game I've ever seen from him against NZ. I put him in for that game alone.
Tevita Pangai is looking good, but I still can't forgive him for walking out on Newcastle as a 16 year old.
Jake Saifiti is only doing short minutes because of his compartment syndrome I think. If he ever gets over that he'll be as good as his twin brother, but just now Dan can do 60 minutes a game and Jake can only do 40.

Rhyse Martin is the breakout player of the cup I think. He's been knocking around the lower grades for years and I always thought he must have played a fair bit of firstgrade, but he's yet to debut. This year he made the NSW cup team of the week 9 times and the NSW cup team of the year, so he must be close to making the top grade soon.

That'd be great, then we wouldn't have to put up with this sub standard sludge fest