Fox needs to show up in big games, something he has yet to do.

He has failed to show up in any game for the last few months. Hopefully he'll take it on board as its the second time in two years he's missed out.

I think he'll come back a better player for it, I like the direction Smith is showing these youngsters in the international set up. You don't perform you won't play simple.

Hopefully it make our national side a lot more hungrier in the future.

Although Tomkins missing out is a bit baffling.

unless you've signed for warrington of course, surely if briscoe has rightly been picked instead of out of form foxy, what happenened with myler getting the nod instead of tompkins?

Yes thats why Sam is playing 6

i see what you did there

Yeah just edited that not had chance to look at the team.

Still again though its about building for the future, if Tomkins missing this series means it will make him a better player in the future. You have to protect a lot of these youngsters because the Aussies and Kiwis can knock all confidence they had in them.

Still I don't think Tomkins has had as much good form lately as Macguire, who along with Sinfield carried Leeds the last few weeks of the season.

Biggest shock for me was Carvell missing out.

Two different players in my book, your going to get trouble with both DM and ST in half backs, it just won't work out IMO. Tomkins plays at his best as a second reciever out wide, he won't be in that role if he was to play SH.

but a lot more than myler, and Mcguire has regularly played scrum half when burrow has been injured this year.

I can't for the life of me see how smith can pick myler when his own club wouldn't play him for the last 2 months of the season and tompkins has been pulling up trees, it beggars belief and smacks of self interest.

I wouldn't class scoring a hat trick against Wales as pulling up tree's. For me Tomkins and Maguire doesn't work. Too similar to work together as a half back combination.

I think Smith has done the right thing maybe he should have offered the bench spot to Tomkins instead of Eastmond.

i agree with everything you said except tomkins on the bench, eastmond an cover more positions.

the pulling up trees was more do to with the way he finished the season with Wigan.

Smith doesn't play his halves in first and second receiver, he plays left and right half backs, always has wherever he has coached, so to me there's no reason tompkins and mcguire can't play together. Don't get me wrong I think myler will be a big talent if he continues his development but for a coach who reckons he picks on form how can he justify picking a lad who hasn't played for months?

Not as good as Morley, Graham or Peacock so not a real shock. The shock is perhaps only going with three props. Although when Westwood comes on Burgess could easily move up to prop to make the fourth.

It is far from an outrage. However in the last 5 weeks of the regular season Fox scored 5 tries. The only really rubbish bit of play from him I can recall was allowing himself to be tackled in-goal by Tomkins in the Wigan play-off game. He was still rated ahead of Briscoe when the full squads were announced. Between that announcement and yesterday something has happened to make T. Smith feel he [ineeds[/i Briscoe and he should be brought in for an injured loose forward. Now, selecting an England team is about winning matches, not being fair to the individual players and it is Smith's job on the line. I've got no problem with him making a hard-nosed decision if Briscoe has been brilliant in training or Fox very disappointing. If the decision was based to any significant extent on the Wales friendly, then it strikes me as bizarre.

Still, the team has been picked now and I'm looking forward to the tournament.

I understand where your coming from because fox has been the form winger for the season.....But, Fox was aweful against wales so I wouldn't say it was bizarre, it's just a case of being replaced due to a poor performance.

I would not be surprised if Fox returned for the "Bigger" games against Australia and New Zealand.

I think Smith is just giving Myler and T.Briscoe a run out against France to help there development

I think his selection is probably based on the fact that Tom Briscoe has the potential to be a very special player. Not saying he'll get there, as many before him have had similar potential at 19 and failed to fulfil it. Realistically we're going to get beaten in 2 out of the 3 games, so he's maybe thinking along the lines of Briscoe and Hall (although his selection is automatic IMO) being the core of England back line in the future so instead of picking Fox (who's had a fuller and more prolific season but is 25 in a couple of weeks, so mid career rather than at the start) he's gone for a very forward-looking option. Time will tell. Just hope that Briscoe doesn't lose his confidence if selected against Australia, as it's a big ask at 19 to front up against that calibre of back line. Like Willa, I think it's likely Fox could be recalled at that point.

I just didn't see Fox as being that bad. I honestly didn't think 'that is the sort of performance that might have cost him his chance.', like I did for Sykes and Myler

I think 'Briscoe was good' is a slightly better argument.

I hope Fox has been well man-managed if their is any prospect of a recall. You don't want a player low on confidence going up against Vatuvei or Hayne.

vatuvei is injured

But he had that potential a couple of weeks ago. I just find it strange that Fox seems to have been dropped unceremoniously and Briscoe rushed in with slightly unseemly haste. I absolutely wish Briscoe the best though - this is England RL, not Rovers-Hull.

I've not seen all that much of Briscoe to be honest, Hull fans, how's his defence?

He's a big lad and going forward he appears to be able to bump people off at will, I agree that he could hopefully be very special.

Correct decision to pick him over Fox, not done enough to merit selection, against the Aussies, playing on the wing you need to be able to make a half chance a try under the sticks and on current form Fox won't do that.

His defence is pretty good. Sometimes caught out of position, but pretty good in this respect for his age. His big attributes are his size and his leg strength (freakishly strong for his age) and he has a very good attitude. Agar was saying last night that Smith had said he was in with a chance of a callup to the 24 (if there were injuries) if he played well v Wales, but apparently he was still disappointed to have missed out in the first place, not in a cocky way, but just has a nice confidence and ambition about him. As said, whether he's ready at 19 is questionable, just hope if he has a bad game or 2 at this level it doesn't knock his confidence too much.

Briscoe's selection ahead of Fox for this game does not surprise me.

It will be a more intense game than against Wales , but not have as much pressure as a game against one of the Southern hemisphere sides.

It will give Smith a good opportunity to assess him in a game that will be competitive for some period.

Sounds good.

In top level sport with nutritionists, strength conditioners, sports psychologists and the like I'm a real believer in players having to have a natural will to win and born desire. In that top 10% players have to have much much more than "being a big lad with a bit of pace".

Whether it's under 12's on Pearson Park or an ashes series players [ishould[/i have an unswerving belief in their own abilities.

As long as he can muscle up, positioning can be coached. I really hope he goes well, when was the last teenager to [itruly[/i front up to the fecking Ockers? Pains me to say it but stand up Lee Crooks!