There was nobody better who wasn't injured.

Thomas Makinson and Mark Percival were injured.

Being an Aussie doesn't automatically make him talented. He's a boring dinosaur and does the game no favours with his style of play.

Some players that come to mind - Tomkins,Watts,Williams,Lineham, Charnley,Reece Lynne,Grace,Joe Burgess,and I'm sure some posters could add to these. Not sure if Roby was available,if he was, it's absolute madness not to pick him to interchange with Clark. For me,Bennett should be no more, and Shaun Wane should replace him. This is not Bennett bashing, it's my OPINION!!

I agree. However he didn't help himself by picking so many HB and not enough backs.
The talent pool certainly doesn't help. But surly it's common sense to take more than 2 Wingers and 1 Centre.

Either Grace or Handley would offer exactly the same as Williams/Austin have on this tour - a place in the squad but not the 17.

Of those names you have mentioned I would agree only with the Catalans star Samuel Tomkins, who showed during the 2019 Downer Nines that he is the most exciting attacking player whom Britain possesses.

Thomas Lineham is controversial and Joshua Charnley showed in Sydney in 2014 that he is not up to international standard. Regan Grace is just about pace, and James Roby may be too old for the job. Reece Lynne has not been tested at this level.

I can't ever remember Tomkins showing on the international stage why he should be picked!

The 2019 Downer Nines.

Surly the squad should be picked on performances during the season. Not on a Nines tournament that is completely different to a test match.

I see Jermaine McGillvary is being panned across social media for that poor effort which could of won us the game. Whilst I feel him being singled out is a little harsh, I believe had Tommy Makinson not been injured, a better player than McGillvary in every aspect, he would've finished that late chance and we may well have gone on to win the match with such little time left.

It also has to be asked why did Widdop just boot the ball to the Kiwis on the last tackle with us about 10 yards still in our own half with less than a minute left on the clock? Surely in a situation like that you chance your arm and keep the ball alive as much as you can. Really poor play from Widdop.

First and foremost, the referee was a ing disgrace. The amount of lying on and messing about at the PTB by NZ that he continually allowed, slowing us down all the time, was scandalous.

He ruined the game as a spectacle and could have caused some more serious fights than the scuffles that did ensue because he just allowed NZ to basically cheat all game that frustrated our lads.

He himself when the big decisions came round - Marshall high tackled Hall to stop a try, which is at least a Sin Bin, and the ref just brushed over it and gave just a penalty.

And when Hastings made that great break, Philbin was pulled back and he was going to be the support runner. The ref did NOTHING!

Onto the game: GB played with no intensity and no invention at all. I can’t help but feel that Bennett’s coaching is outdated. And by it’s BORING! One-out running with absolutely no creativity at all. It’s supposed to be the entertainment business but it was about as entertaining as watching grass grow.

Josh Hodgson is a boring RL player. Steady, consistent, yes. But boring. All he does is pass from dummy half or take three steps from dummy half and then pass which just reduces the space for the ball receiver. He does absolutely nothing to commit any defenders to him to create space for the player he passes to and he hasn’t got a dummy half run in him. He causes absolutely ZERO panic in the opposition defence. I felt the same watching him in that NRL GF where the only true X Factor Canberra had was Whiteon. At the very top level (GFs/test matches) you need an X Factor, you have to have something special at Hooker but Hodgson just simply doesn’t have it.

McGilvary has to do better. He had an eye catching World Cup but when it really mattered in the World Cup Final he should have passed to Widdop for a try but didn’t, and froze when that ball went through and he missed the ball when trying to kick it. Yesterday, he should have passed to Hardaker on the break and he seriously had to score that try, he didn’t protect the ball at all.

It looks like Hall is now injured and McGilvary isn’t good enough yet Bennett hasn’t taken any other wingers on the tour (which is ing ridiculous). So now we’re going to go into the final games with players playing out of position.

All-in-all a very frustrating tour so far. I’m really disappointed!

And I hope that we do not see that disgrace of a referee again!

Agreed, great post. Re - ref, I've never enjoyed watching a game when he's been in charge.

Shaun Wane for GB+England coach please!

Everything is there for him. We have the players to choose from, we have the depth, we have the quality, he has what it takes. It’s crying out for it!

I’d like someone to implement some attacking flair - I’ve had enough of the “grind out a win” rugby we’ve seen from Bennet and McNamara before him.

I agree with this

^^^ Absolutely this, whilst I'm sure there would be some be some opposition to this from various quarters due to his past Wigan connections, Shaun is currently the best fit for the job. Let's be fair, it's only a part time role really, and could fit in with his part time Scottish RU job. He has the pride and passion you will never get from an Antipodean, good man management skills and has meticulous preparation skills. We have a World Cup coming soon, let's have a great briton coaching Great Britain!

Of the English coaches, that probably just leaves you with Powell and Watson (who is involved already) and would they actually want the top job, when there are so few international fixtures.

I do think that under Bennet, we play an extremely caution "rugby by numbers" type of game.
Having said that, generally, defences are that much better and the opportunities for some "off the cuff" open rugby are extremely limited.

Also, as far as results go, it seems that McNamara was doing a decent job

Mcnamara had England actually playing a more expansive game than Bennett.

Tonga certainly dont play boring rugby and that's clearly getting results.

How can anyone accuse Bennett of "grind out a win" rugby?
Grind out a defeat, more like.

Shaun Wane will get the intensity back that’s for sure, and the passion. He may even get that elusive win over the Australians, but I don’t think we’d be playing good rugby though it would certainly be an improvement on what we have now.

I was brought up on international games bringing out the best in players and the intensity stepping up a notch and the GB are just sauntering through these games. Wane would bring that intensity back but I was glad to see him go at Wigan, to play crap boring dull rugby all year and turn it on the for the last 3 games and win the title papered over the cracks IMO. We hardly offloaded and I’m a massive fan of the offload.

Powell would get us playing good rugby, as would Watson but id be keen on a coach who allows the players to play their own game, to play what’s in front of them and throw the ball around.

We have played Tonga and NZ in the last week and to beat either team you need to take the wind out of their sails and tire the big lads out, you do that by making them work twice as hard by having a second phase and Bennett wouldn’t allow his players to do that, we need a coach who plays expansive rugby, can motivate a team and is a good man manager.

Wayne Bennett still has the skills necessary to enable Great Britain and England to win. However he needs Thomas Makinson and Mark Percival to be available, and he also must select Samuel Tomkins in the starting 13.

I would select Widdop at full back, Tomkins and Hastings in the halves, and John Lomax in the centres, in place of the mediocre Zachary Hardaker, to partner Mark Percival. That team would have the attacking talent necessary to win.

Did I read that right? Lomax at centre ?

I am far from convinced that Lomax is international standard. Has he ever done anything of note for England / GB?

Well he can't exactly have done much for GB considering the side has been dormant for the last 12 years.

Used to love the old GB v Aus Ashes 3 test series. Last played in England in 2003 and here in Aus in 1992. Was at all games played here since 1970(our last series win). Great memories of some truly great players.