I wouldn't say he is that good defensively. He misses a lot of tackles. He has a lot of aggression and that's it.

Wigan miss McIlorum when he's not there. not sure if he's what we need against the Aussies tho.

Mickey Mac brings what as a Hooker? lots of tackles and some aggression.
You should get that from your back three, a Hooker should be creative and set the teams play along with the Halves.
I doubt an angry Hooker is going to bother Oz or NZ too much, they will lap up that style everyday.

That's England shot at as a major international force then!!!

Roby and Lunt would be my choices

I still thing Roby is the best all round hooker we have at the moment. IMO his days of being effective for 80 mins are over and he needs to be rotated. There are a few good candidates so it depends on the game plan and how England want to play.

MM is a very good payer, he does offer a lot but there are better hookers if you are looking at creativity and pace. If MM was to player he would need to start and to bring on Roby after around 25 mins. Their two styles would compliment each other.

My choice would be Roby to Start and Clark on the bench. I can understand the calls for Sinfield, Lunt and Houghton, I also rate Josh Hodgson.

Not getting to watch much super league being abroad but I've always thought sinfield is a fantastic player at hooker.
Roby was the best impact hooker In the world and I don't see why he shouldn't be used like that again for England.

Can people please stop mentioning Micky Mac in posts related to England. It's getting boring.

James Roby & Shaun Lunt. Discussion over.

I'd go with 2 from Roby, Lunt and Clark, those 3 are way ahead of the rest in my opinion.

I'm a big fan if Lunt too

I would love him to be at saints to interchange with roby.

Clark, Clark and Clark again.

If any of you people ain't sure and you are going to the magic weekend, then be sure to be there from midday Sunday and see the Dazler in action.

I would suggest Clark and Roby as both can also slot in at 13 while the other is 9 if biscuit bones SOL is injured.

Clark looks to be the best hooker in SL by some distance at the minute.

Clark was absolutely outstanding versus Leeds.
Robys strength, speed, vision, step, but only twice as good. Hard to ignore the lad playing like that.

Indeed, he's gonna look the mutts nutts next year in primrose and blue.

A genuine issue for England is the inability of Roby to play 80 minutes. That means we have to use some form of interchange who can play hooker, or move someone else to spell him. That puts us at (another) disadvantage when comparing to Australia in particular.

BTW there's absolutely no point in blaming one player for not being good enough at that level. GB/England haven't had an Australian-quality 1-13 (or 15 or 17) since I started watching in 1981. They have more players now - particularly backs - than for a long time, but the squad will still include a number of makeweights. Not often I agree with Garry Schofield, but he's right when he said that was a major difference in the end when GB got very close to Australia in the early 90s - just lacking two or three more special players.

Some very ignorant comments regarding McIlorum and his ability as a player.

I honestly wouldn't swap him for any other English hooker. There's a lot more to a hooker game than the 'eye-catching' dummy half scoots. Wigan noticeably drop in intensity in defence and attack when Micky Mac goes off.

People are blinded by their opinion that he is 'a thug' and their general dislike of all things Wigan imo. Can't believe players like Lunt, Hodgson and Houghton are even mentioned as anywhere near the standard of McIlorum.

Roby is Mr. Reliable but his x-factor doesn't seem to be the same as it once was. I don't fear him as I once did when we play Saints.

I do rate Clarke, he has unbelievable pace for a hooker, but he does seem a bit lightweight. His breaks from dummy-half catch the eye but I haven't seen enough of him to properly judge his all-round game though.

Typical defence of Mcilorum without any explanation of what makes him an international class hooker. Defence isn't enough! What else does he have?!?

Sinfield should have retired after the World Cup.
He had a good series and should have left on a good note (bar the last minute of the semi final)

Mickey Mac brings what to the Test team?
Do people really believe his "aggression" will upset the Kangaroos? its that mentality that has led to zero series wins against the Aussies for 4 decades.

Anyone who thinks ROby is still just a "scooter" doesn't watch him. He's evolved into a very complete hooker, which he displayed with some fantastic play selection in the England - Australia game last year.
He does sometimes look like he's lost some zip, but he's being completely flogged at the moment. Spelling him would resolve that.

Sinfield should go back to loose & stay there. Leeds have plenty of options at half, and when Aiton slots in they will have a couple of options there too.

Roby is the stand out hooker for me. Works his socks off defensively, often puts in 3/4 tackles in a row. Has the skill to run, run and pass or simply pass from dummy half. He can go one out off either side and isstill quick over distance.

McIlorum hasn't quite got the same, though he does have the steel, and is far more liable to lose his head & give up silly penalties.

Not seen much of Clark so will watch the magic game.

Very surprised the only mention of Hodgson comes from Hull KR Fan's. Hodgson is one of the best hookers in Super League and puts in consistently good performances week in week out

Hodgson impressed me. Nice try to seal the deal.

For me Clark is the best this year, & as a KR fan I think Hodgson is up there in the mix, Sinfield is a half back who if asked has enough skill to play a holding role at hooker if needed but he is not even the best half back in England, Widdop is by a country mile.

Ive always said Roby was the best interchange hooker in the world. Would be ideal for him to play that role for England.

Not sure who I would go for to start. Theres a few very good ones

I like him.