oww shut up will you. not one single wigan fan has mentioned matty smith should be in the england squad, he was already in the knights squad.

has he picked 17 wigan players? no, so whats your point?

A right hand side attack of Brough, Hock, Goulding and Charnley with Tomkins chiming in would have been mouth watering. Sinfield, Hock, Ablett, Charnley doesnt quite have the same appeal to me!

last year sinfield wasn't even close to being the best player against new zealand.

Well if i remember correctly i think it should of been James Graham but Sinfield got it so he must of played well, and he did.

I'm not even saying Sinfield should of got the nod for this game but these claims that he's been really poor at International level when their has MANY worst for GB/England in the SL era is OTT. You just have to look in the direction of the guy who'll be wearing the number 7 shirt.

Did the likes of Long, McGuire, Pryce, Brown, Horne, Deacon, Orr, Burrow, Robinson or Myler perform any better at International level in the halves? And even some of are very best players of the last 20 years Farrell, Sculthorpe and Harris may of played a bit better but certainly didn't rip it up at International level like they did at club level.

If we'd have had a decent half back pairing against NZ in last years 4N we'd have put a score on them. They were there for the taking and we actually made it more difficult for ourselves by not being clinical in attack and converting possession in to points. Sinfield is not an international 6.

Yes but we had Sam Tomkins and James Roby, the best 2 talents in English RL atm, the guy who won Man of Steel in Rangi Chase, as well as 2 of the best wingers this country has had since the days of Offiah and Robinson. Are you trying to suggest the difference between scoring a bucket load more of points against NZ simply rests on perhaps playing a Brough or Lomax instead of Sinfield?

I'm a fan of Danny Brough, but I think Huddersfield fans will agree he loses form dramatically at times.

I just think it's time for us to play attacking half backs instead of going for a safe option.

Apart from players like Hanley, there are very few players who stand out in every game (except Goulding & McIlorum obviously). Brough is light years ahead of any other British scrum half IMO.

Do I think we'd score more tries with a quicker and more creative stand-off than Kevin Sinfield? Yes I do. It should be chase and brough when the nrl players arent available and widdop and chase/brough when they are.

Yeah great idea playing two stand-offs together. We'll definately have the structure, organisation and tactical kicking game that fans are wanting then.

Well hes using chase as a 7 alongside sinfield so why not with widdop? I did say widdop with chase OR Brough. There's also lomax but I don't think he's developing in to the scrum half people hoped he would. IMO any combination of Brough/chase/widdop/lomax is better than having sinfield in there. He shouldn't be near the squad and definitely not as a 6

Personally, I'd go with Brough + Widdop. For the exiles games, I'd have gone Brough + Chase.

I do think that Brough is a class above other British halfbacks at the moment (aside from Briers) , he's one of the few that has a kicking game, can totally control the tempo of a game and has a great turn of pace to go with it. All the others are in a very similar mould, great with the ball in hand running at defenders and in the open field (Tomkins (when he was a 6), Chase, Myler, McGuire, Lomax).

As for Sinfield, as I've said many times before, works for Leeds, but if we want to actually progress England as a side he can't be in it (unless he's a hooker, but there's actually decent alternatives now).

Surely that makes more sense than a Stand Off and a jack of all trades master of none in Sinfield. Sinfield is barely a credible Super League Stand Off never mind international one.

Should have Darrell Goulding at stand off. He's been awesome this year.

He has, but I wouldn't play him at stand off. Centre would probably be a better bet.

Like Sinfield he is never a Stand Off so that wouldnt work either.

OK I get it, you don't rate Sinfield

I do, I think he's been fantastic for Leeds. The entire system is built around him and it works, and has for a long time.

However, if your going to build a side around a player for England, it most certainly ISN'T Sinfield. So it's daft to try and put him in a position where in all honest, he's more likely to reduce the effectiveness of better players. I dont' think we saw anywhere near the productivity from Chase + Tomkins as we could have in the 4 nations, cos the ball just constantly went into Sinfields hands and the onus was on him to create something.

So if England lose its Sinfield's fault
If we win it would of been by more if not for Sinfield
Chase & Tomkins would play better if it wasn't for Sinfield
Sinfield is also responsible for 9/11, Shergar and the Lindbergh baby.

Not Sinfields fault, McNamara's fault. He has to create a system that can get the best out of his players, I personally don't feel that could happen with Sinfield in the halves.

I agree with you to be honest. You're spot on with this:

He's won more trophies playing at stand off than any other British stand off around.

England will win this game, its clear most of the players in the Exiles squad can't be d, I bet all the 'injured' players play next week.

Apart from us all wanting the players we think deserve an England shirt in the squad, which obviously we are never all going to agree on, surely everyone on here can at least look at the squad and say "hmm, not really using our best options all over here".

My question is, surely there is someone working with or above McNamara to have a word in his ear, just kinda point out some of the finer points and remind him that a squad built with next year in mind is the way forward.

If there isnt such a person why not? And if there is does he need to clear his throat a bit or is McNamara just whistling while he gives advice?

If either of those are the case someone needs to be shown the door in my eyes, sooner the better.

This.