Question for any stattos out there, when did England/GB last lose to NZ on home soil?

And paves the way for England to lose to Samoa in the other semi

2005 Tri-Nations?

hmmm?

This team is poor on backs and halfbacks. We've selected too many 2nd rowers that won't get a game.

I was kinda agreeing with much of what you said , until you mentioned Bridge !



Your either on glue or his dad .

Bridge put 2 try making passes away to Monaghan that no other player in the league could have made last week! He had less room than if he had have been in a telephone box

Also should be playing for Ireland.

You mean Steve McNamara the ex 2nd row has picked too many players in err the 2nd row position, who does he think he is, Brian McDermott?

Can't agree with the selection of Tom Burgess or Rob Burrow.

There are other selections that I may not have made myself (eg McIllorum, Ablett) but you can understand why they have been selected.

Myler is incredibly unlucky to have missed selection. I would have had him plus Ferres in the squad instead of the other two.

Do you reckon Ratch has paid the price for not having a settled position over this season? I'm also praying that the squad announcement does'nt have an adverse effect on the lads that thought they may have been in with a shout for inclusion.

I think we have a fair chance of beating New Zealand.

We could get a moment of great excitement by knocking out the champions and go in to the final against the Aussies with a load of jingoism and excitement with people on these forums convincing themselves now is our time, the Aussies aren't all that, in the past we've showed them too much respect, if we get in to them we can win the World Cup.

Then the final and reality will hit as the Aussies will school us. They will give us a worse lesson in the final than they will give us in the group game, because the Aussies will not lose the final this time after what happened last time. Occasionally Aussie teams coast in second gear and you can catch them short but this year whether its us or NZ in the final they will be brutally torn by a switched on Aussie side.

After that look for meltdown on here about McNamara's selections or non selections that cost us that final plus also some hard questions about whether bringing guys like the Monaghans over here is destroying British rugby league because how do we know there were not some local lads better than them but they never got their chance?

Some of the people who post on there think they know more than a Super League coach...Hell of a lot of Wire haters too i don't bother with it....

Anyway the squad itself...Ablett,Cujoe and T Burgess are the only inclusions i have an issue with....
I really thought Ratchford had done more than enough to be included not only can he play Full Back,Stand off and Centre.... But he plays in those positions very well not just adequate...

Ratchford's defence isn't as good as Mathers was and doesn't play as positionally well as Hodgson.
No where near as strong as Bridge right centre.
Goes missing when at 6/7.

He for me is fantastic with a tired defence. I would play him off the bench. Good at everything, master of nothing.

I wouldn't have thought they we're thinking of including Hodgson...

Though he probably had more chance of inclusion than Mathers.

I do enjoy your posts though

I feel for Lunt and dare I say it Crabtree. Plus there is Wilkin along with Moz, Mickey Higham & Atkins et all. Atkins is never going to get a shirt whilst McNamara is around. The squad creates debate and you can see reasons for and against players. Mickey McC could become a liability or he could rattle players and put them off their game. Time will tell but one thing is for sure come the last 4 we will need a little bit of lady luck along with playing out of our skin to be in with a chance of winning it.

Potentially massive pack, as good as Aus or NZ but any momentum they give will be totally negated by the usual problem - no half backs selected.

Sinfield & Chase will be the halves, so you have a loose forward who masquerades as a stand-off and spends half his time at hooker (where he looks much better these days) and a wildcard risk-taker who will win some games and lose some.

O'Loughlin is nowhere near fit, Mossop, Ablett & Farrell aren't anywhere near international class and are in by virtue of the club they play for.

Ratchford as a utility back, Myler & McGuire should have been in.

McGuire? he's garbage at the moment

McGuire has looked a little tired and slow of late in my opinion. I'm aware he's had injuries and came back from them but ideally for him the break will do him good. I would use Burrow ahead of "Tiny temper" Mickey Mc. He could end up being embarrassed by someone if he starts with his antics.

thanks....i was going off topic a bit there....thinkng about Warrington.

Dear me, did someone mention McGuire? He was pathetic against Wigan last week. His international ship sailed long ago.

Including Matty Smith in a World Cup squad would be ridiculous. Let's be serious about this tournament if we're going to enter it. I'd rather see Richard Fairbrass out of Right Said Fred play. I appreciate that Smith won the Lance Todd, and I accept that he could have a "wow of a game" on Saturday and win the Harry Sunderland trophy - but he's not an international standard class player.

I say let's stop having a dig at the England squad selected and get behind the bunch of knights grade 2nd rowers playing out of position to cover a lack of depth in other positions...oops, I sense some irony there!

Utterly desperate to put neanderthals like McIlorum and Hock in the squad. Astonishing.

You can take multiple views on the squad. The summation is, we lack sufficient numbers in the halfback and centre positions.

+1