So, we got Australia next week.

Personally, I'm less bothered about that than I was about us facing NZ tonight. Being honest, I thought we'd get tonked.

Much has been made of this being the best Aussie side for 100 years.













No way. You can spunk up all you like about any of their current backline, but seriously - compare them to Lewis, Sterling, Miles, Kenny...? Dear oh dear.

Now, I'm quite prepared to be hung out to dry here, in terms of what may or may not happen next week, but lets look at the tournament so far.

The Aussies LOOK beatable. So far, they have looked a poor second to NZ. They've dropped a lot of ball. Lockyer and Thurston aren't clicking. They're doing a lot of dummy spitting. Slater has missed a good few tackles, and...

THEY WERE KEPT SCORELESS FOR [uFIFTY[/u MINUTES last week.

As I say, I'm well prepared to eat my words if we lose by a big margin next week, but you know what? I think we're in for a good 'un next week, and I'm more than happy to be seen as the dark horses/no hopers.

I agree. If you ignore the hype and look at performances this is quite possibly the worst Australia side that I have seen. The forwards are very poor and I would take New Zealands or Englands forwards any day.

The backs, bar Inglis and Slater, havent done anything special. I have always been a huge fan of Lockyer but he hasnt done much so far, compared to the Lockyer of old, and it looks like age has caught up with him. Thurston has also been quiet. The only players that look special at the moment are Inglis, Slater and Smith where as in the past Australia would have had numerous players in this category.

Just get over the fact that players, and people, on the whole are far superior to that of people from 50, 30, even 10 years ago athletically, especially at the top level, hence why world records do not stand for 50 years on end, its just how it works.

Skill wise they may not be as good, but the sides of today would run over the sides of those years ago. Do not let nostalgia spoil your present viewing experience, these people are monsters.

they probably didn't though. we now see enough of them to realise that they aren't the super rugby playing race that people (probably blindly) assumed in the past

It's one of the worst Australian squads I can remember

There isn't a single forward in that squad that the English should worry about, a good workman like six but when you think of Australian forwards like Cleal, Sironen, Clyde and more recently Webke, Tallis and Mason you realise how ordinary they are

However, they do have 4 or 5 outstanding players in Cam Smith, Lockyer, Thurston, Inglis and Slater...

As a lot of threads say today, we can win this game and would do well to keep it tight and brutal as I think we can overpower them

It's bizarre to think like this as in the past we have always said England (GB) can compete for 60 minutes but the Aussie would come strong in the last 20 - I feel next week that England can get over the top of them in the last 20... but we need to be in the game at that point

How clever you are.

Whilst Lewis and Kenny were very special, Thurston and Lockyer are better than Sterling ever was. Inglis is on the way to being as great as Meninga, possibly even better, and Slater might well be the best full back I've ever seen. Minichello revolutionised the position but boy is Slater bloody incredible.

whilst i'm not disagreeing how did you come to that conclusion?

Just making the point.

You've not been watching the game for very long have you ?

Why do you say that??

What happened to Folau (sp?) Everyone was raving about him at last years WC

You might be able to make a case for Sterling being better than Thurston (he perhaps still has a few more years to make his point) however there is no way on earth that you can make an argument for Sterling being better Lockyer. Lockyer is one of the very best ever. Perhaps I was being a bit flippant about Thurston. Lockyer's record and performances speak for themselves and his performance in the first half of that Tri-Nations final against us is probably the single most brilliant display I have seen by an individual in a single game.



Why do you say that? I've seen Meninga, Miles, Garry Jack and Belcher play and Inglis is certainly on his way to becoming as good as the first and Slater is better than than the latter two.

Injured which makes it even more frighting if you replace Brett Morris with him, Albeit that's no offence to Brett Morris...

injured

and about another 5 slater clones aswell