Aussie and NZ squads just been announced.... https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-league/63114476 Unsurprisingly it's a who's who of the NRL (and that's without Tonga and Samoa), so let's just say England will have their work cut out to get anywhere in the tournament !!

Aussie and NZ squads just been announced.... https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-league/63114476 Unsurprisingly it's a who's who of the NRL (and that's without Tonga and Samoa), so let's just say England will have their work cut out to get anywhere in the tournament !!

Quote ="FIL"Aussie and NZ squads just been announced.... https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-league/63114476 Unsurprisingly it's a who's who of the NRL (and that's without Tonga and Samoa), so let's just say England will have their work cut out to get anywhere in the tournament !!'" I'm an optimist by nature and I think Wane is the right man for the job but we just don't have the talent as far as I can see.

Quote ="FIL"Aussie and NZ squads just been announced.... https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-league/63114476 Unsurprisingly it's a who's who of the NRL (and that's without Tonga and Samoa), so let's just say England will have their work cut out to get anywhere in the tournament !!'" I'm an optimist by nature and I think Wane is the right man for the job but we just don't have the talent as far as I can see.

13 uncapped players, and all of them are top draw. If we're lucky we might make the semi's, but we're not in the same league.

I'm worried enough about Samoa considering they have a big bunch of Penrith players that just smashed their way to Grand Final win.

There's a lot if good in the England team but I'm not confident of getting past Samoa.

I agree
Barring a miracle, the semis will likely be the end of the road for England and that's not a 100% certainty.

We got no chance to many old players in the squad getting past there best for S L never mind world cup and a few more that are very poor S L standed .Shows how how bad the S L standed is

Really looking forward to the WC, not very often the worlds best land on these shores nowadays. The amount of 33/34 year olds we have in our squad is both worrying and embarrassing, showing a complete lack of quality coming through in my opinion.

.....and how long have we been saying these things?!?! Shall i go back to the Full circle thread i started, something i didn't actually mention, that switching to Summer would help us 'catch' up with the Aussies, we were told as athletes they had an advantage because they played and trained in better conditions, that by our players doing the same, their core skills would improve etc, etc. Another part of switching which hasn't worked, the standard of the game over here is way lower than it was 25, 30 years ago. Where are the British players of the standard of Hanley, Schofield, Platt, Gregory, Edwards, Offiah, Lydon, Betts etc. Those players couldn't beat the Aussies in World Cups or in a 3 match series, yet they are far superior to the best of today. Of course i will edit all this if we do actually win the thing............

The game has evolved. We have improved but so has the Aussie game. It isn't correct to say Summer rugby hasn't changed things.
You need to go back and watch some if the mud baths Hanley had to play in.
The very fact all the players you mention enjoyed good stints in Aus shows how they benefited from the harder ground.
Hanley and Offiah would have loved playing in summer.

Kyle Evans has made the Wales squad. Hope he plays.

With him and Hood (Scotland) at least there's some interest for Wakefield fans.
Tini too if he gets selected for Cook Islands.
Wales v Cook Islands at the LSV might see our two guys head to head.

Tini is in the Cook Island Squad yes.

Course he is.........

In what way has it evolved? The players are fitter, faster & stronger but aren't as good as past players skill-wise. I've watched loads of Hanley and all the others' i've mentioned, live back then and on youtube mainly in lockdown, and the game hasn't progressed since the '90's as a spectacle. Offiah scored over 400 tries in the Winter game, and Hanley and the like had better skills BECUASE of having to play in poor conditions, because playing in adversity makes you concentrate harder and become better. I know it's an age old argument about Football, Cricket, Rugby, comparing past players, teams, and it makes for great debate. Just look at today's footballers, again, fitter, faster, stronger, i can't argue with that, but as skillful as say George Best?! Watch footage of him on paddyfields, and think could Salah, Haarland, Ronaldo do what they do on the pitches he had to play on?!

100 percent agree with this , we lack enough young British players, all our top teams are dominated by foreign imports , you’ve only to look at Leigh with 14 imports in their promotion squad. Skill qualities been replaced by regimentation, fitness and of course injuries. Think Danny Shorpe and Craig huby, current props are all biff and bosh - game was much more interesting in the days of Reilly handley etc

The move from 6 yards to 10 metres for the defensive line, completely changed the game and created a more "power" based game.
However, the 10 metres does also give a little more space and when you see what field has done at Wigan, you can surely, enjoy that level of skill.

We do view the past through rose tinted glasses and what we have currently, for me, is an improvement as a spectacle (apart from the odd game).

Mind you, when you look at how few genuinely world class half backs we have produced over here in the last 40/50 years, that is when it gets scary and as you say, the quick fix is to import an "Aussie". The lack of decent creative players is probably one of the main reasons our national side has not beaten the Aussies (apart from the occasional one-off result).
Even when there are decent young halves, they dont get time to develop.

Hanley was great, one of the best ever.....but it wasn't because he played in the mud.

Definitely rose tinted view of the past.
Best was awesome, but I bet you'll find 50 players in Premier League as fast as him now.
Of course he played in an era of heavier ball and defenders that were allowed to physically attack you but watching Haaland, he would be great in any era.
It's just different. One doesn't have to be better.

I never said Best was fast?! I said what he did skill wise on poor pitches was great, and questioned whether modern players could do the same. My whole argument was, Summer rugby has not raised the standards on the field, i'm still waiting for your response as to how the game has evolved. The MOS was Brodie Croft, probably about 20th in line to represent Australia, like i've said, British players are still as far behind the Aussies, if not more so, than they've ever been. I actually take back what i said as re. players now being 'fitter' as they seem to spend more time injured than actually playing!! They never got injured in the '90's you know!!!!!!!!!

Maybe IMG could do a scientific study as to why so many injured players, must be something to do with playing on hard grounds all the time........

I'd like to discuss but the issue is too big to explain and I'm too busy to get into it when we are starting with 'explain how the game has evolved'.
I agree there were more personalities in those days and there were some very skillful players. Let's leave the rest for another day unless anyone else wants to explain.