Don't we play Samoa next in the mid season game, or am i missing something?

Contrary to others I find you fairly amusing.

No, you are correct. England vs Samoa will be mid-season. England vs France will be in October before the World Cup, IIRC. Or am I mistaken on that schedule?

How did Catalans get on today JC?

Hodgson was apparently busted before the season started. Playing as a shadow of himself. Whitehead starting to hit his straps again now in the back row once more. Tom Burgess had a stinker on his recall to first grade. Jury is out on him.

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www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sport/ ... 9182c93de5

All three Burgess brothers at Souths need to step up. George and Tom look leaden-footed far too often, not to mention absolutely horrendous ball control. The first could be helped by losing a few kilos- neither busts the line much anyway so I don't think they'd lose a lot.

Sam is working hard but just looks way down on the player he was before he left for RU. He isn't bending the line with every carry, which he was before, so he's not attracting defenders in the same way. Not sure what he needs to do TBH, but I had hoped for England's sake we'd see the pre RU Sam Burgess this year.

Sam Burgess's problem is mental more than physical it seems. A complete change of club and challenge would totally revitalise him. He knows he'll never re-capture the context of Souths' Premiership winning season.

A benefit for Burgess, GB/England and the game would be a move back to the UK with Rhinos making him their marquee signing. Nice house, get his wife settled & kid into a posh nursery then school. T & G would then likely follow back to a SL club and they would benefit too. It would be high profile for all three but a less stifling pressure than battling on in Sydney.

having watched the Souths game at the weekend i would echo the sentiments of the two posts above mine, all three could do with moving from the Souths club and a new challenge, it seems very stale there right now. I still think Sam is one of the top NRL players and will thrive again at a new club. Would be great to see the twins in SL, they are still very young for front rowers and have plenty of time to re-invigorate themselves.

Think part of the problem they have is that the whole set up needs a refresh. Maguire isn't working his magic any more.

Anyone who thinks they'll come back to SL is kidding themselves. Even if they fall out of favour with Souths, another NRL club will snap them up immediately.

Which of the Leeds beaches do you think Sam would enjoy swimming at most?

Somehow I don't think that this peaceful location would fit the bill for Sam -- at least not until he is well into old age.

I think there's a two main things that are impacting the Burgess boys;

1 - They've gotten too big for their boots and stopped putting in the hard yards, they'd 'made it' in 2014 and success has gone to their heads - they seem to be more interested in taking cool selfies with their tops off and their shades on at all the hip places rather than getting their hands dirty and doing the extras in the gym/on the training ground - Props aren't meant to be the cool kids - props are meant to be salt of the earth, workers, battlers - they're too pampered away from the pitch

2 - They've all now flown the nest - they've got wives/girlfriends and more importantly kids. I think they flourished living together, being young single blokes with that natural competitiveness to be the best - you do lose a bit of that when you've a wife and kids (and cool selfies to take).

Sam should've rested at the end of last season. The last 3 years must've taken its toll, both mentally and physically

you saying they gone all Rocky 3 on us? they became civilised... lost the eye of the tiger?



i agree BTW.

There's an element of that, and also the Maguire issue. He built a side - exceptionally well - based on the players he had at the time. He has seemed to really struggle since the GF win because he hasn't adapted the style of play much even without the same core of exceptional players. Like most GF winning teams they have paid too much to a bunch of players who were average and dragged up by the stars (not to mention huge dollars to get Burgess back), so are also going to find it will take a long time to up the quality across the field.

Overall you'd have to say Maguire and Hasler look like coaches who haven'tworked out a Plan B for when things aren't going well. Hasler's in even worse trouble because he hasn't sorted the deficiencies at halfback which have been there right through his tenure at the Dogs.

I don't just think it's at H/B where they struggle, I'd be tempted to say they've got the worst spine in the league. Although it looks like they're after Wests' 'Big Four'

Canterbury- Bankstown have a very good Gambian scrum half named Moses Mbye. The current Canterbury-Bankstown hooker, a Lebanese named Michael Lichaa, is not bad, though obviously not as good as the other famous Lebanese hooker, Robert Farah, or the former club hooker Michael Ennis (now retired from playing). Lebanon, the most liberal nation-state in the Middle East, is famous for its hookers. Both Mbye and Lichaa attract fans from their respective ethnic communities, which raises the club's home game gate revenues. But these two players also add something to the team's talent pool.

Correct Lichaa is not bad... he's terrible, made a big error getting rid of Cook! Mbye is not a scrum half, he looked ok at standoff alongside Hodgkinson but he needs an organiser alongside him.

You may have something there! I was hugely disappointed by Sam Burgess at last years 4 nations, he needs his aggression and drive back

IMO they should take his captaincy off him and/or start him on the bench in the first game of the world cup against Aus, just to light a fire under his belly

www.news.com.au/sport/nrl/james- ... 4380525cc6

www.news.com.au/sport/nrl/james- ... 4380525cc6

A masterclass from Widdop's boot today.
The thirty yard floating pass to put his winger in wasn't bad either.
Small blemish with the try conceded but the Dragons were never losing that game.

Agree about widdop today, he has the team ticking around him very very.