and me

I have negotiated one ticket for myself from [iMy Wife Wears The Trousers.com[/i

It's a sofa ticket and a TV pass for 5.30 pm tomorrow, including free use of the remote control, a two hour swear pass and all the nachos i can eat. I have to provide my own beer though. Pretty good deal. Cost me one weeks washing up and a Sunday afternoon shopping excursion.

She asked me if they were going to do the Haka. I said one of the "English" lads might.

I totally agree & for Thurston to get M.O.M. is just not right, that was a deliberate head shot.

Even with 12 men they would have taken the game away from us in the final 20 mins !!!!!!!

1 ) Thurston should have been put on report but never red carded. It was the Hip and Leg from Inglis that got him a bit dizzy not the high tackle. I have seen far worse and nothing happen except put on report. England also did a couple of high shots and messing around in the ruck.
2 ) England players need to stop believing the Hype. James Graham is the biggest moaner I know. He has a scowl and tries moaning to the Ref the whole game. When he goes to the NRL he will get a shock-he isnt as good as he thinks he is. Tomkins crapped himself AGAIN. He cant take a high ball and is not a Fullback. He can run and take players on but he is not anywhere near to being a International Fullback. He has alot to learn-like catching a high bomb under pressure.
3 ) There is a reason why Thurston, Lockyer, Slater,Smith are so good- They have worked damn hard and keep doing so. Too many English players are quite happy to do the bare minimum and not put in the extra work to make the next level. They are happy living in the comfort zone and thinking they are great. Sam Tomkins staying at Wigan is a good example. He is content with being a star in the Sub Standard Super League full of mediocre clubs instead of going to the NRL and pushing himself to the limit. Until a good number of English players push themselves and the standards in SL actually get something like Professional then little will change. With respect how can Steve Menzies still be so good in a Pro League when he is 38 and still play 80 minutes?
4 ) Mcnamara cant coach-nothing new there! England looked to have no real game plan and were lucky to get one try. Mcnamara is probably better as a team manager or something as he is very intelligent, has put in place some good structures that will help the National team. The problem is he picks poor players like Chase and Sinfield at 6 and 7 who in 5 games did very little. The kicking game is poor as usual-Hoof it and hope was the main tactic. Why was Widdop on the Bench and was lucky if he played 80 Minutes in the 5 games (France, Wales, NZ and 2x Australia). He isnt a utility player and went very well in the NRL against the best in the world. So why not play him at 6 from the Start?
5 ) The Whole Pro game needs to be looked at. ALL Clubs at SL and Championship level must have an academy and run teams at U13,U15,U17,U19 and Reserve Grade. No more than 3 Non EU players. Clubs need to get away from short term thinking and wasting money on Aussies and think long term. The RFL need to help clubs run better academies and encourage clubs more. The way Fax was treated by certain people at the RFL with Scholarships etc was a disgrace. I am sure Marillion Man will confirm what a disgrace that was. Bring back Promotion and Relegation and have just 2 x 10 SL clubs with SL 1 and SL 2. The top 5 and bottom 5 from each League playing off to a Grand Final. Once others get up to the basic Standards maybe look to expand it to 2 x 12 or the bottom club in SL 2 is replaced by the championship club IF the Championship club meets basic standards.

Totally agree with all above.Why bring Widdop all the way from Aus to play for 40 mins tops and then play him out of position?Doesn't it say something about rugby in this country when they bring three young players(not including Ellis in this)who play in the NRL over and,with the exception of Widdop,they get into the team above players playing here.Went to final last night not holding out much hope for England and was proved right,we play blokes who are too old,too slow,can't change the game plan when it is going wrong and who don't seem to gel because they play against each other week in week out.The Aussies manage to have more than one game plan,they have players who can play 80 mins,forwards who go forwards and are led round the field with confidence and skill.Australia will miss Lockyer for a very short time before a good,enthusiastic young player steps into his boots and leads them around the field.England need a coach who can coach,players who can lead and are imaginative,players who can change the plan when it isn't working and forwards who can play with passion,speed and for more than 20 mins stretches before we have any chance of consistently beating the Aussies or the Kiwis.

In defence of Tomkins he had zero protection. But that comes down to the fact the Aussies controlled the game and got to the kick on the front foot with no pressure on the kicker.

A big problem with England is that club differences are not put to one side by both players and supporters. The Aussies when they put that shirt on are a unit, England aren't.

Good point, at the England v Exiles game at Headingley all the Whino's booed San Tomkins and applauded when he got injured.
Jamie Peacock to his credit, slated the Whino "fans"

They were saying on Sky sports news today that the England RFU want Sam Tomkins to appear for the Barbarians next weekend. I wonder if they realise it's his brother they've just cashed in on LOL