Let's not kid ourselves he has been poor and that is down to two things, he doesn't play very well to the structure McNamara has set up but also everything has to go through Sinfield. We really miss a proper scrum half (Robinson, Myler, Brough, etc) who can take on the line. Shame people are equating place kicking with necessity to be the first name on the team sheet. you'd think Sinfield was the only reason England are in the SF and you are a heretic if you point out the obvious, judging by the reaction from some of the people on the VT.

Chase has been let down but he has also not been good enough and against France he was awful.

I agree Chase hasn't been great, he looked better against Ireland and Fiji though. Apart from Ryan Hall which England back has looked good in more than 2 games so far? Even in the forwards, I can only say both Sam and George have looked half decent.

The majority on here called it before a game had been played, but Steve McNamera is not the man to lead our national team. As you say everything has to go through Sinfield, he's the first receiver on the majority of plays and it has stifled Rangi's natural game. I see no reason why it won't be the same with Widdop in the halves either.

Fingers crossed for a miracle here.

Not a very bright call.
Chase gives you the X factor.
I don't have a problem with Sinfield at all but he's not a half back.
You need someone who's slippery.
We will lose,sadly.

You'd play McIllorum if you're worried about what your opponents are going to do. You'd play Roby if you want your opponents to worry about what [iyou're[/i going to do. That seems the better option to me.

But we could have played both. McIlorum to start and get at "Luke" and then bring Roby on. Wigan did something similar in the 2010 Grand Final v Saints. They started with McIlorum against Cunningham and then brought Riddell on.

I'm surprised that Chase has been dropped. He hasn't been amazing in this tournament, but who has? He offers something completely different and keeps the opposition guessing. I'm a bit concerned that we'll consequentially lose our creativity. NZ will win comfortably on Saturday methinks...

Id go with burrow over widdop,match fit and offers the bit of xfactor that widdop doesnt

if noble lets chase play his natural game next year i think he'll run riot and you will get to enjoy what weve enjoyed seeing from him in his time at cas

Martyn Sadler ‏@MartynSadler
Rangi Chase has taken 2 days leave with permission from the England camp to be with his partner, who is expecting a child.

Going to stick my neck out and say England to win by six.

Watch out, your mate Michigan Red will be wanting it to be chopped off!

Well I got it wrong but only just and Widdup justified Mc Namara dropping Chase. Damn unlucky today but well played England and to all the players who took us to that Semi.

Think bringing in Widdop was a bit of a Masterstroke, csn only think he is still feeling the effects of the injury from earlier in the season or he'd have been in the starting 17 in other games.

Think England have suffered with not having a geuine creative srum halve, much as I dislike him I think Myler should have been given his chance in this tournament, someone as good at backing up as him would have worked wonders behind such a massive pack.

Chase is too off the cuff for the current England coach, a worry is that Noble might be too regimented for him at Salford, but it's a worry I'll settle for.

In the team game I watched England lost.
Strange that you should feel selecting a losing side is justified.
Then I remembered you're a Swinton fan.


( Meant in a light-hearted way

)

Come off it. Even as a Salford fan I immediately realised that the Sinfield/Widdop partnership was a class above the Sinfield/Chase partnership.

Steve McNamara was more than justified in his decision to include Gareth Widdop, he had one of the best games I can personally remember from an England stand-off.

Widdop played alongside Sinfield who also happened to have his best international display despite being pilloried for more years than Rangi has had the opportunity to play for this country.
That may have helped,as would the fact that he is paid far more money that Rangi is for his weekly contributions in the NRL.( Salary Cap as mentioned when Leeds lost WCC in February by Dr Koukash ) He has also just come back from a long lay-off.
It did seem as though the NRL players did put in the better of the displays for this country.Perhaps that's what England supporters want - a team full of NRL players.
I don't think the players from the double-winning Wigan side played particularly well and Tonkins hasn't had the impact he does have at club level.Perhaps he may also have been dropped but it seems that an elite level player returned to his club for reasons not fully explained,and that option wasn't available.
The last time GB won the World Cup the side contained players from Salford.
Something for Salford players to work towards over the future years;whether it be for England or GB.

Oh,and by the way England lost.Was McNamara justified to leave a player on the bench - Ablett - when it seems tiredness in the last 2 minutes cost the side the game ?

We were discussing McNamara's justification for dropping Rangi Chase in favour or Gareth Widdop, not Carl Abletts contribution. If you think using Ablett would have swayed the result in England's favour then you're wrong. Ablett is a second rower/centre and I didnt see anyone in those positions tiring.

As neither Rangi nor Ablett were used we will never know if their contribution would have swayed the result.
If the head coach for the national side is justified when changing a winning side into a losing side against a team Rangi would have had the most motivation in playing against,then so be it.QED.
I personally hope Rangi is never selected for the national side again and now,with England being so brilliant,(in one game) there will not be any further games,which lack intensity,against France,Wales,and more importantly an Exiles squad.
( Written by someone who has no interest in the national side )

How many posts would you have made if you were interested?

BTW I agree that plenty of others performed in a lack lustre way apart from the NZ game and to some extent the game against Austrailia, so the mood that England improved because McNamara dropped Chase is a little simplistic and can't be fully justified. However, as you know all to well neither can you say with any conviction that the changes made by the coach transformed "a winning side into a losing side" winning and losing to whom is the key and a truer measure of performance and success surely?

Just to clarify: I ain't being petty about it ( because Rangi wasn't selected for Saturday.)It would make me feel better if no Salford player represents England and there is no Exile game in the future so none of our imports play in that game.
For reasons different from mine,I believe your fellow Man U followers aren't too keen on the national side.
I am just interested in club rather than country.
I am obviously aware of the pride the players have for representing their country.

Sorry to repeat but no half-back under 175cm, preferably not under 178.

Like Rob Burrow or maybe those rubbish halfbacks like Alfie langer or Matthew Johns who were both a similar or smaller size to Chase.

Johns is 175, and Langer is stocky and hard, and did take the line on, but I'm not sure if Langer would get into the NRL now as a halfback, as an interchange nine probably. Would Andy Greg play in the NRL today? Not as a half I doubt.

Anyway, Chase doesn't seem to have the courage to go to the line. I'm not judging him, I don't blame him. It's a flippin tough gig, and I don't think he's a tough guy.

Have you seen him play for Cas, if you have and especially the last game against us you realise your post doesn't make sense mate