Agreed, but decisions do play a part. Had the Briscoe try been given it would have changed the complexion of the game. Although, as you state, the players made their own mistakes and fair play to Aussies they punished every mistake.

I think the point is that when it comes to international games we want a fair crack at it. We didn't get it yesterday.

To put a referee in who only had half a season in the NRL, a league where they use 2 referees on the field, was a mistake. The guy was clearly out of his depth.

The decision to place Tony Williams on report was a shocker, it was at least a yellow card. I have to admit I don't like the report system, I think gives referees a way to bottle the big decisions. Ok, Williams may get a 1 game ban against Wales and be back for the final but how does that help us?

Then we have Yeaman's disallowed try. Why when you have the technology there do you not use it? Then, late on he goes to the screen for an incident for an Australian try that looked less of try than Yeaman's his ball carrying arm hit the ground and it was arguable whether or not it was a double movement.

Add to that his pathetic policing of the play of the ball, and he's not the only ref to allow too much in this tournament and I wasn't happy.

Whether or not it would have changed the outcome of the game is hypothetical, we will never know. Australia were typically very clinical and took advantage of any mistakes we made. I thought England at times looked outstanding. In the first half we looked as good as I've seen in a long time. Sam Tomkins finally proved to the world he is the real deal. A little side note to Jeronimo, Ryan Hall's finishes were world class.

It's all a shame really. Plenty of fans travelled down from the North, myself included and spent quite a lot of money to watch two entertaining games of Rugby League one of which was completely ruined by the referee. The highlights being watching a Cougars' player playing at Wembley, even if Danny Jones had a bit of a 'mare. Watching a Keighley born player scoring a well taken try for England at Wembley. Craig Kopsczak annhilating that Kiwi prop and saving the best 'til last, Gareth Widdop taking on the Aussie pack with his fists, you can take a lad out of Halifax............

How is England picking players on residency/family rules different to pretty much any other sports nowadays.

Half the England Cricket team.

Half the England Kick and Clap team.

Mo Farah (Athletics)

Graham Le Saux, Matt Le Tissier, John Barnes, Owen Hargreaves (Football)

I could go on and on. It just reflects modern global society, there are plenty of people who come from all around the world to this country, why shouldn't we allow them to represent our country if they pledge allegiance to us? Also why shouldn't we allow people to play for the country if they have family ties to that country and feel more in touch with that country?

Graham La Saux is from Jersey & Matt Le Tissier is from Guernsey neither of which are every likely to have a Football team. Jersey have Rugby Union Club that play in the same league as Wharfedale.

Dont know if the outcome would have been any different, but the final score would have been a lot closer I feel, the ref made some shockers, the 2 main points have been highlighted.

I was pleased England, kept going for the full 80.

Rangi Chase played well, ok, he off loaded to an Aussie, but I think a couple of others did too.

Delighted Jack Reed scored. Keighley Lad scores at Wembley. Silsden Park Rangers to Wembley in 2 years.

Wales impressed, despite the scoreline & the ceefax headline is very harsh on them, as it reads 'Wales suffer mauling by Kiwis'.

Jersey and Guernsey both have football teams. However, they are not recognised by FIFA at international level. This is because years ago when Gibraltar applied for FIFA membership, the Spanish Government threatened to pull out of FIFA in protest forcing FIFA to change the new admission criteria to countries that were recognised by the United Nations and have their own head of state. In other words there are around 50 "countries" that are currently in FIFA that wouldn't meet the new criteria, including, all the home nations, all the countries that have the Queen as head of state and autonomous regions of other nations such as Puerto Rico and the Faroe Islands.

It leads to the strange quirk that anyone from a British Overseas territory is eligible for all of the home nations by virtue of holding a British Passport.

Please explain why Chase should have been in that team?

1. He's eligible for England through residency.

2. He's won the Albert Goldthorpe medal and the Man of Steel this year which would suggest he's good enough.

So he meets the eligiblity criteria and his playing credentials are good enough. Are you suggesting that the system is wrong? If so what do you think the system should be?

Just because other sports do it doesn't mean its right.
He has no connection to this country apart from living here. I dont agree with it.

You say he has the playing credentials mean he is good enough. That may be the case at a small club like Cas. But he isnt international class on his showing so far.

If a player has lived in this country and then wants to represent us at sport, I see it as their way of saying thank you for letting me come, play rugby & live here. I havn't got a problem, just like with Maurie Fa'savalu. Rangi is 1 player in a squad of about.

Also Cas are not a small club & I know some Cas fans who would object to been Castleford called a small club.

Have to say re the decision not to send off the aussie for high shot on westwood was shocking but then not long after to disallow a perfectly good try from Briscoe without consulting the video ref seemed to me very biased to say the least.

As another poster said the fact the ref was so close to the australian team smacks of poor judgement on behalf of the ref in particular to say the least and the rfl instead of rolling over to the aussies everytime could and should have foreseen potential issues regarding perceived bias whether there or not. Can you imagine the aussie rl authorities saying nothing if the game was in australia and an english ref who was reffing a game between us and was staying with the english team.

Whilst australia are seen to be best in world its about time rfl here grew a pair and stood up for our national team.

Assuming we beat the kiwis I think we are more than capable of beating the aussies but need to drop Rangi Chase its nowt to do with whether folk agree if he should have been picked in first place simply he went missing for big parts of the game. Give Burrows a shot at the kiwis whether off bench or not, as Mcnamara tends to play folk out of position it wont matter.

How many English half-backs are there who are better than Chase? Widdop should be starting at stand-off. Lomax? Possibly in a year or 2. Brough? No chance and off form anyway. McGuire? Failed time and time again at international level. Burrow? In great form but better utilised at hooker IMO. How many international class halves have we had in the last 15 years?

But we've had 16 years of Super League, we must have developed loads of international class players by now?

Had he allowed Briscoe's try and shown a red card and England had still lost then your arguement may hold water. You do not know how the Australians would have reacted when they were just 2 points in the lead and down to 12 men.

I have a very, very good friend. Who would object, if someone says the colour purple isnt the best colour in the world. That doesnt mean people cannot say it.

In the grand scheme of things Cas are a small club. When you compare them to Wigan, Saints or Leeds.

Lets cut to the chase here

Chase has only put his hand up for England because he isnt good enough to play for his own country.
I know we are desperate, to beat anyone never mind the Aussies.
Personally i would have had Widdop and Brough. Or injuries permitting the two lads from Saints.

Maybe the question should be, why havnt we had many international class halves in the last 15 years.
As aj has pointed out, we have had enough time.

Once again people need to look at the bigger picture.

Regarding the Briscoe try he should have gone to the video ref.
As for the red card, i have to say i thought it came of the shoulder first. Then on seeing a replay i was sure it had hit the shoulder first. What it again and see what i mean.
I dont expect any punishment of ban to be given. Even [url=http://www.sportinglife.com/rugbyleague/news/story_get.cgi?STORY_NAME=rleague/11/11/06/RUGBYL_England_Nightlead.htmlWestwood[/url is helping the Aussie.

As Brian Noble said on Saturday"If that's Westwood's shoulder then he needs to go to anatomy classes"
Rob Burrow"The tackle does not look good"
Irrespective of what Westwood does the tackle was shocking and was no where near the shoulder.

In your opinion

In Noble's and Burrow's too!

As for how many class international halves I can think of around 3 since super league started.

Sean Long
Paul Deacon
Leon Pryce

Its the people outside them that have been pretty poor. We do produce some class players and hard workers but just don't have the skills or the chemistry like the Aussies. I mean the main 'triangle or square' in a team (Numbers, 1,6,7 and 9) for aus:

1. Billy Slater (Melbourne,Queensland)
6. Darren Lockyer (Brisbane,Queensland)
7. Jonathon Thurston (NQC,Queensland)
9. Cameron Smith (Melbourne,Queensland))

So they have played together since at least Origin 2007 including the ANZAC Tests, Intenationals and World Cup. And thats not including.

Boyd
Inglis
Scott
Thaiday
Cronk
Shillington

Do the england team play together as much as them? No and that's why we are behind them. If our playmakers and outside backs played together as much as them above we probably wouldn't be far off them at all.

I'll give you Sean Long, when his head was in the right place he was as good as anyone.

Deacon was a decent half back but lacked the x-factor of a truely international class half back.

I never rated Leon Pryce as a half back, he's undoubtedly a phenomenal athlete but I never saw him as anyone who could guide a team around the field. He was on the other hand a top quality centre.

When Pryce was on form he could rip teams to pieces. And deacon was more of a distributor whereas Long was a mixture. When we beat the Aussies 23-12 was it? Long ran at the Aussies as well as just take them on then pass.

That was the game when we beat them in Sydney and the Long fell out with Noble and retired from internationals? That game and his line break in the "Wide to West" try, in my opinion the greatest Rugby League try ever, are my abiding memories of Long.

If you had a player with Pryce's size and speed with Deacon's distribution and kicking and Long's off the cuff play and you'd pretty much have the perfect half back.

Aye Long's contribution for Raynor's try was one of my favourite moments in an international.

Long's part in the Wide to West IS the best SL try no two ways about it. Shame it was against us.

And yes although Pryce and Deacon in the halves (in their prime) tore teams apart left right and centre. No one good enough to do it now except Widdop. But I do agree, mix all them together and you get Lockyer