or whinge about him & complain untill he is to scared to penalise us. (Sorry the opposition have got in first)

Sorry, but as much as I want us to, I just can't see it happening, the Aussies don't appear to be as good as in recent years, and we have a pretty strong squad, BUT, they have a coach and we don't.

I honestly think the main difference between the two teams is the quality of the men in charge, don't be surprised if they score 50.

Tony smith is a phenominal coach and we still couldnt stick it too em, its not as important as the class of the players on offer

A mass brawl at the first scrum has gone out of fashion these days. Lucky for us really.

What is this belief based on?

I'm always told Australians are super RL players and the poms aren't. That their fitness/conditioners have magic powers and that their coaches were sent here by Angels. Am I not right?

Or is it just that over here, it's proportionality a far, far bigger sport, produce a larger number of talented athletes and they have massive strength in depth. Don't forget the NRL is the BEST COMPETITION IN THE WORLD.... which actually only means that its a bit better than only one other main comp in the World.

Play like our llives depends on it. Strive for every inch, every yard, play by play, set by set.

Play with the determination and fighting spirit that has helped our ancestors win wars in the past and protect the freedom of this great country.

Play to the gameplan.

Bit of luck as well.

Very interesting this bandwagon of saying we don’t have a coach

Watching the Wales game and some of the movement of the ball and the lines that the team were running, my reaction was that they aren’t playing particularly well as individuals but they looked a much better coached team than recent years

Best coached team we've had in recent years was when David Waite was in charge.

Is this the David Waite that selected Richard Horne on the wing and put half a dozen loose forwards in the team?

Make so much noise that the Australians feel the fear and forget how to play, watched some old videos of games at Wembley ans the atmosphere was electric

Watch Australia's tries against NZ again - not the ones involving poor defence but the other ones. Look at the execution of the moves - fast, accurate passing, everbody knowing what their role in the play is.

That's not down to Tim Sheens being an uber coach. Its down to the quality of the players across the field. Phil Gould used to say the same about coaching Origin - its not about teaching players anything, its about working on combinations and gameplans. Compare to Tony Smith last time in Oz having to hold extra training sessions to work on second man plays. Our players by comparison probably do need coaching.

McNamara may or may not be a great coach, but he's added some quality players to a team that otherwise would look bad even on paper, and he's made sure the team have had more preparation time and training than previous coaches have managed to get pushed through. He's also put in place the Knights idea as a stepping stone for younger players.

Maybe he'd be better suited to an England 'manager' type role, but IMO the guy deserves real credit for putting things in place that will stand us in good stead for the future. The problem in the end rests with the quality of players available, as our continued failure under coaches going back years shows.

We've got to do the basics well. We've got to dominate possession and therefore, field position. No penalties and we must execute well, take all chances.

That would be great.

I watched highlights of the 1992 world cup final and the atmosphere was amazing! I was there as a 9 year old and no wonder I fell in love with the game being involved in occasions like that.

I'd love this Saturday to be a similar sort of atmosphere.

Based purely on my opinion, which, like yours Mr Booster, means absolutely nothing.

Yes, I was one of the 73,631 too. We did have a great chance that time - a relatively strong team. Sadly, we didn't do it then - minor defence mis-positioning by John Devereux was exploited by the brilliant Steve Renouf and it was all over in an instant.

That was a great day. I remember my Dad bought me and him seats in the Olympic Gallery which hung off the old roof. I wasnt allowed to tell my Mum how much they cost and I was sat 2 seats away from Michael Parkinson. I was 13

Not that match but I took my lad to Wembley once and we were in the best seats and arrived early. Bumped into the late Emlyn Hughes. Pretty sure we also bumped into the legendary Kurt Sorensen that day too.

Excellent

Days like that stay with you forever. Lets hope this Saturday is another

I don't know why we can't have a bit of biff. If you watch Aus - NZ in recent games there is almost always biff.

In both Aus - NZ Four Nations games last year there was a fight. Luke vs Shillington, Smith Vs Bird and Blair(and all the Aussies) Vs Shillington(and all the Aussies)

In the Four Nations the year before it there was Luke vs Gallen

Last week there was almost some genuine fisticuffs.

In contrast I can't remember England putting on the biff since Fielden got smashed. It's not as if we're well disciplined either. Just too soft in how we play, no real intensity.

England have to knuckle-up these convicts in the first 20

I think a bit of biff would go down pretty well, however you look at the likely starting line up and we aint really got any fighters except the captain, Peacock. The days of the hard nuts like Sculthorpe, Farrell, Barrie Mc, Fielden have long gone.

Well what made you form your original opinion?

soon as you put a abit off biff on show you can bet your house and car that you will either be banned for the next game or get a warning with a fine. why do players want that? i agree the RFL need to slack up on there handcuffs. After a fight rugby league goes to a whole new level and its amazing RIP terry was allways a player you wanted to see after a punch up you new he would explode

Yeah i agree a good kick off is what England need to beat these australians.Weve been missing this since the kevin Ward days.The aussies were frightened to death of ward,Adrian Morley too.But in recent years it seems to have been coached out of the players purely for discipline reasons,but being an ex player myself i know a good kick off can change a game instantly.It gets the crowd all wound up aswell as the the players.For the forthcoming game thats why id go with Graham.Roby,Morley,Peacock,Westwood,Ellis as my starting pack and be aggressive straight from the off.

Peacock has always been a slapper. Throws girl punches. Not sure where he gets his reputation from, never seen him do anything except exchange a few punches with Willie Mason. Every other fight he's had has been an embarrassment to him.

Also I don't really believe in the whole loss aspect side of things. A biff is over in 30 seconds, the probability of someone getting properly pummelled is almost non existent.

Just because our boys don't fight doesn't mean they couldn't either. I reckon someone like Ellis could throw them if forced, I fancy he has heavy hands.

Carvell, Graham, Heigheington, Morley, Ellis, Peacock. There's definitely players who could hold there own if they go looking for the fist fight.

It's not like the Aus team is filled with fighters either. Gallen, Scott, Watmough, Galloway and the other Scott have a mean streak, but they're not invincible. Issac Luke has traded off with 2 of the Aus enforcers in Gallen and Shillington and come out of both smiling.

Maybe I'm over thinking it but I don't think we're incapable, just need the mentality. Nothing a few words from coach couldn't change. If McBanana tells the boys to set it off then they'll set it off

Really? Tell me what suspensions Luke and Gallen got in 2009. Or Luke and Shillo in 2010. Or Bird and Smith in 2010. Or Blair and Shillo in 2010?

Maybe that's what we're missing. The Aussies and Kiwi players seem willing to make the sacrafice and enter the firing line to win games for their team. We sit around and worry about the RFL