I haven't seen today's game, was he particularly bad? ( in fact, that's not my problem with Sinfield, he's not prone to awful games, but just lacks any fear factor. Is any Aus/NZ coach going to be fretting about how to deal with Sinfied? No. )

South Africa was always doomed. Running drills in good hot weather is not going to be good preperation for live games in chilly wet weather, for a start. Just seems like it's been used as the opportunity for a nice end of season jolly whilst also throwing in a bit of world cup ''prep''.

Next week is make or break. If england stink the joint out, it will put a halt on the good momentum built in recent weeks.

Were you at the game?

I though league freak AKA William eve lived in Australia?

No idea

Completely agree - the Aussies have come up against him and dealt with him before. He has zero x-factor and a history of going AWOL at international level before...

For me the Italy game sums up one of the biggest problems with England over the past few years - their mentality. For a team to have the wrong attitude a week before a world cup final is completely unacceptable. Who's preparing these players phsychologically? If Australia score first next week, will they have the mental strength not to just give up?

How can anyone be surprised that a team containing one former Golden Boot winner, and several accomplished top flight NRL players should defeat England?

With the likes of Anthony Minichiello, Aiden Guerra (both Sydney Roosters 2013 NRL Grand Final winners), James Tedesco (West Tigers), and Josh Mantellato (Newcastle), in the backs and Mark Minichiello (Gold Coast), Cameron Ciraldo (Penrith), Anthony Laffranchi (St Helens), and Joel Reithmuller (North Queensland) in the forwards, a win by Italy was always in the offing.

Imagine what the score would have been had the late withdrawing injured star halves Terry Campese and Craig Gower had been playing?

Have both below average this season.

Josh Mantellato has played 1 or 2 games for the knights but he is probably close to being 1 of the best kickers in rugby. more than likely end up in superleague after this tournament.

The only player who you would pick for the England sqaud would be Aiden Guerra so underrated it unbelievable

Not so.

Guerra is outstanding and underrated.

However James Tedesco, who is full back for Wests Tigers, would walk into the England side as stand off.

Josh Mantellato has been playing behind two of the five top wingers in the NRL -- James MacManus and Akuila Uate --- with superb fullback/winger Kevin Naiqama also ahead of him.

I would also rate Mark Minichiello ahead of the thuggish workhorse Ben Westwood.


This Italian team has class across the park.

I agree with you on Guerra.

We already have better stand off's who wont get in the squad for 1 reason or another. He is an exciting run and full of heart tho.

I like Mantellato but he is not better than Charnley or Hall.

Ben westwood has been off form for awhile now but i still would say we have better players than Mark Minichiello he is solid more than anything.

Most Aussie teams do have

Agreed. It's taken years of dedicated work but it's great to see italy developing so many top quality players.

Maybe England are trying to lull the Aussies into a false sense of security - they won't believe we really are this bad!!

The halves really are poor - the worst 6+7 of the better sides by quite a distance - for those Leeds fans who watch him every week Sinfield's demise this year has been dramatic - not allowed to criticise him on Southstander, its blasphemy!!

What was the point of SA = did either the Aussies or the Kiwis feel the need for high altitude training!! I bet Nigel Wood, Ralph Rimmer and Blake Solly got their passport stamped too!! A jolly plain and simple

We would have won if Ben Westwood wasn't banned.....

Or low attitude sickness?

Nearly 20 years of SOOOOOOPER DOOOOOOPER league, 2nd rate, past it, never would be, never will be, holidaying, pension seeking oceanics n the game to improve standards and this is where the national has got to.
1978 was the threshold for Aussie change, and 1982 should have beeen the catalyst for the british change but it was misdirected.
However another "opportunity" was presented in 1996 and like the previous occasions the clubs and RFL made, and still make a horlicks of the game in this country.

I have had my comments previously derided b "experts on these forums.

Well .........


I TOLD YOU SO and results like this do not make me happy.

But then I am pretty good at joined up thinking and don't think that blinkers are a decent fashion accessory.


I'll take a guess at yet another Australia V New Zealand final with 35000 at old trafford with most getting free tickets to swell the gate.

Leeds fans I know have said the same thing, as much as they love Sir Kev they say he shouldn't be in the national side.

Chase can't play to a structure and probably better as an impact player off the bench at international level.

Widdop/Burrow looks the best combo with what's left unless he moved Tomkins to 6 and bought Hardaker in at 1.

The Danny Brough saga will haunt McBanana until he is relieved of his duties.

To be honest, I think attitude was the primary problem: attitude of the coach and the players alike IMO.

The frustrating thing with the SA trip is that it's well known that partial acclimatisation takes a minimum of two weeks, so neither the warm nor the altitude would have made any real difference to the fitness of the players. When you consider the game fitness v's training then it's even more farcical as a fitness exercise.

However, as a team building trip it's probably worth doing. Maybe too much fun was had and this week is a friendly wasn't more than a chance to blow out some cobwebs, but also one that Italy winning is a good move politically for the international game?

Super League needs to be re-named !

Eddie & Stevo with their OTT commentary do not fool us Championship 'scum' Rugby League fans !!!!

All seemed ok up to kick off.

But the crowd was very quiet for first 20 minutes which seemed to worsen an attitude that didn't seem right.
Only two played to anything like potential - Tomkins and Sinfield. For those who are criticising Sinfield, note he was off the field for most of the middle 40+ minutes.

The 20 minute torrential downpour before half time didn't seem to please the English players!

Think another factor was that they didn't want to use key plays in front of the watching Australia team

Noting what RL Bandit said, it did seem to me that a good number of players looked somewhat overweight & sluggish. A few days of hard fitness and speed training are needed this week.

The intensity of the occasion next week will bring the best out of England and, if they can also come out with the right attitude, all is certainly not lost at this stage.

Sorry, i don't buy that. The season's only just finished and the players are about to play in some of the biggest games of their careers. They should definitely not be overweight or sluggish. If their attitude wasn't right then that is unforgivable. I hope the match was a big reality check for some of them...

So the RFL thinks their fans always buy tickets late and so things will be alright on the night? What will this result do to ticket sales?

I agree that warm weather training is no preparation for lashing rain and freezing temperatures. Am I right in recalling they did sometging similar before the last disastrous WC here? If they did - didn't they learn from their mistakes?

I think the result may help - England now realise that just how bad they are and will now hopefully play for pride and get some results. Certainly they need to forget anything their coach has told them. Do that and they may do OK.

I think the WC's ticket sales will now depend on Australia letting us win the first one.

Well. That was unexpected. Scotland need to watch out.

Half back combos

Chase/Sinfield got 30mins. Didn't click, not on same wavelength.
Chase/Widdop got next 30mins, bit better, but well short of what they can individually do
Burrow/Widdop got 10mins, forgettable
Burrow/Sinfield finished. They at least can play together, but have nothing to disturb NZ, or the various levels of Aussie teams in the comp

The props were ok, but didn't stand out

Sam burgess had an attack of "need to do everything myself"

All the 2nd rowers had problems holding onto the ball, or put in a poor pass to their centres which allowed the defence to get across.

Plenty to work on. Especially the 2nd rowers

You don't get jetlag from SA to UK