Thats because we are used to Madge...

Isn't Ryan Shaw of Warrington the only other outside back included in the squad? If Evans is seen as the better of the two at Warrington I suppose it's no surprise that he's kept his place.

We both know how good Rhys is.

For someone who professes to know so much about junior RL, you are unbelievably fickle when it comes to young players.

well you mustn't know a lot .Reece never did much in the game best thing he did was chase back after an interception apart from that lost possession foot in touch when nobody near him. ball one on one when he was over the line for saying he has played sl very poor . the centre 4 also had a nightmare .they where the poorest players on the pitch .fearthe vee is either blind or didn't go to the match

Point FearTheVee was making is you shouldn't judge a player on one match.

Hope Rhys Evans shows any knockers what he can really do tonight.

I didn't say I went to the match, I'm just saying rogues has been blowing smoke up Evans' a*se all year on pretty much every club board on rlfans as the next big thing, now he's saying he's surprised he hasn't been dropped after one poor rep game.

If Evan's played poorly and there's another youngster waiting in the wings to get his chance, then Evan's should be dropped. Evan's obviously has lot of talent and warranted a place in the England team. But if he's then failed to shine, surely it's only fair for someone else get's a chance at playing against the Aussies.

One poor performance obviously doesn't make him a bad player, but likewise his good reputation shouldn't make him immune from being dropped.

No Sam Tomkins for England next year then eh? He was the very definition of "fail to shine" in the 4N was he not?



He's clearly worthy of his place in the team and I wouldn't be surprised if he was the best player on the park tonight. Everyone is entitled to a poor performance - players like Evans need to be nurtured properly; he's a real talent, just like Tomkins.

Dropping Evans (or Tomkins) for a less talented player after one poor game (or a few in Tomkins' case) isn't a sensible approach and thankfully it's not an approach that has been shared by the England selectors.

Your right all the other threequaters in the squad obviously aren't worthy of chance of representing their country, no matter how hard they train or how badly Evan's plays. I know you'll find dropping players who are playing poorly hard, after all you are a Saint's fan and have had to put up with Meli in your team for ever so long.

Wow, that's poor. Selective quoting too, good work.

Thnx I new you'd like it.

I'm at work at present, so I'm juggling a few things.



I'll tell you what ,I'll put work aside for five minutes and write you a proper response.

Well that comes down to opinions, and mine ain't the same as your's in regards to Tomkins. He did as well as he could considering what he was working with.



If the next in line is good enough they should get there chance. Now if that's not the case then that's a sad indictment for U18's British Rugby League that were still struggling for outside backs (which I suspect is the truth). If a player plays poorly and there's a replacement waiting in the wings who's good enough they should play. It's through competition for places where players are forced to improve, if a players assured of there position in a team week in week out then they'll never strive to improve.

Whilst Wigan were under Noble their were regulars who were guaranteed a spot in the 17 no matter how poorly they'd performed in the past. Now when compared with Maguire who selects on form as opposed to the name on the back of a shirt, there's only one winner. One method won us a SL trophy the other didn't.

It's a false argument though. Evans earned his shirt through his performances over a period of time. He had one poor game, but has still earned his shirt and has still proven himself to be worthy of selection in that position. One game doesn't change that. Players don't get dropped for one poor game after prolonged periods of being the stand-out player; not by Maguire or by any coach worth a bean.

The England coach IS selecting on form - the form that made Evans one of the hottest prospects in RL. One relatively poor performance by his standards does not change that. It's nonsensical knee-jerking of the type we do so well in British RL.



It's not comparable. "no matter how poorly they'd performed in the past" doesn't apply to Evans.

Do you think Maguire would drop Sam after one poor game, or do you think he'd realise he's a talented player and had an off day?

surely players are judged on their present performance not on previous Ive watched both these players when they were amateurs playing for their local clubs , burtonwood the twins also seen Reece at hull when he played in the national cup . it was men against boys maybe they have leveled out

Evans has one bad game and should be dropped? He could be the most talented young outside back in the country. Behave. Most people will have heard what a talent he is. Dropping a player is not done from one game but a series of bad form.

Half Time : England 22 Aus 4

Where are you getting the scores from

I'm gonna have a wild guess and say the LSV scoreboard...




How are our lads doing?

yeah thats great for those west of the Pennines but some of us have been denied the chance to watch the game live.

Any chance of someone posting a link to the updates?

I'm at the match.
England cruising at 26-4 on 50 minutes but a few decisions against us and we're hanging on a bit now 26-16. 60 mins gone.

Edit - Rhys Evans just gone in for a cracking solo try. 32-16

geoff - Sam Powells had a good game, scored the first try.

Thanks MattyB,

Keep em coming please

Anyone got any humble pie I can choke on.

32-22 Trent Jennings Try (70 mins)

34-22