Agreed. They need to play somebody, and this is more competitive than a game against France or Wales.

So,Stevo thinks that the Aussies will have perked up and taken notice at the performance here tonight! yeh stevo, i bet Tim Sheens will be up all night in cold sweats after this.

He didn't say that. He said at 24-0 we COULD have gone on to make the Aussies sit up. We didn't. We have a lot to work on, despite scoring 30 points I think we need to work on our attack.

At least the commentary matched the on field entertainment

.

Oh, wait up Cudjoe saves the day, all’s well.

Menzies is still a class act

Injured actually.

What difference does it make?

You realise that, in order to 'elevate' England, they would need to play in a higher standard of match than they were used to? That clearly isn't the case here. The rationale behind this match IIRC was to attempt to recreate the intensity of State of Origin, which people mistakenly attributed the success of Australia over the years to (the real reason being that they have far better players). This match offers no preparation aside from a simple run-out, since the Exiles aren't even of the standard that the likes of the aforementioned Fiji will be in the World Cup. So if the purpose is simply an opposed run-through, what difference does the opposition make? By staging this contrived fixture, England are just wasting an opportunity for international development and simultaneously disrespecting the sport. The whole logic behind this match is flawed and it shouldn't be taking place.

I wouldn't worry about William Eve, going on this thread facts and reality are not important to him/her.

England were 24-0 up at half time. That isn't a 'competitive' fixture.

you can see why mcbanana left brough out.......myler absolut class !!! what a joke !! laughable

His strange obsession with sinfield is a little worrying.

On a positive note, the attendance at the Exiles game was 0.78% up on the previous one.

we were 24-0 up against a side who looked like they didnt give a toss in the first half.the fact they only had to pick it up a little to look the better team has to be a little worrying dont you think? thankfully we have a few big names to bring in when the WC comes around.Not much to take away from this IMO and the possible long term injuries of two key players to boot.

Dislocated thumb, eh?

Serious stuff.

Melbourne were up 28-0 at half time against Cronulla last week. That competitive NRL comp that we rave about.

How exactly do you expect England to prepare, Mr Hunter?

The crystal ball at the RFL must be broken! But we get the point, you're not a fan of the concept.

As for the match I thought England looked good on the whole, Cudjoe stood out as a plus and even before the injury Ellis was a negative for me, didn't really notice him at all. And as much as he puts in 100% for me JJB is not England class.

It was a lesson learning match. Your going too limit risk, quite right. Screw your head on.

YOU CAN'T ASK THAT! It's just not a good idea. We should play that other team, you know.... Erm... Oh...

The biggest problem IMO is the atmosphere, there's nobody to hate so it's just flat. If it were Lancashire vs Yorkshire, then people have a reason to cheer for their side and make noise, but when there's nobody to outcheer, it just becomes flat.

I am not qualified to make a diagnosis, are you? I doubt it.

When Tomkins has come off in these games early in the past have you moaned?

I'm sure you will attempt a witty sinfield bashing comeback do the floor is yours.

Thats a good idea.think we should give it a try?...

I don't rave about the NRL, it's extremely overrated just as Origin is. In fact the bizarre obsession with Australia is probably the main reason that this Exiles fixture is taking place.

England can prepare however they want. If they want a run-out, then there are plenty of options that will benefit the game without needing to make up a contrived team. The Exiles match offers nothing that any other international fixture couldn't, with the added negative that it is not a legitimate international match and does absolutely nothing for the sport.

Plenty of options? Where!!?

Hammering France by 40 points is good for the sport apparently.

Aye - I went to them. I don't remember them being that well attended. That wee supermarket near Headingley even had beer in it when we got there



TBF, I think we probably killed it off too quickly.