I think Saints are better than that performance, as always v Aussie teams I think the biggest skill deficit is mental rather than physical.
I think British teams often panic when playing an Aussie team and the thought that they have to be amazing to beat them gets to us and we lose our composure. We end up trying to score on every set instead of playing the game and grinding them down.

It is mental, I was just about to reply to a comment from William about the refs. The refs are just like him and he in turn is just like so many supporters and too many players......in awe of the Aussies. From their first knock on and first try conceded the Saints heads dropped and almost admitted defeat straight away.

Enough of these guys (Ian Henderson and Sam Moa) have come over here and hardly blown people away yet if you put an NRL jersey on them people sh*t themselves.

Likewise if Leeds played an Aussie team featuring the likes of Galloway, Falloon and Cuthbertson people would sh*t themselves with worry....when they line up for us they won't be good enough to take on an NRL team.

Couldn't agree more.Like the statement someone made on the VT about if Cowboys are up for it on Sunday it will be 60 points.

Did I hear that Leeds are the highest priced odds for a home team in the history of the WCC?
5/1 odds apparently. I reckon 42-10 to NQC. I was going for 20 points gap before our injuries but think we will be a long way off. At least I get to see Thurston live.

Having seen the SL garbage on show this evening, I'm starting to understand how a team containing three geriatrics (two now finally retired, though arguably three) swept the entire board and won all three trophies on offer last season.

Wilkin should be ashamed,he just gave up didn't he

Are you still going on Sunday JUST TO WATCH ONE SINGLE PLAYER and then struggle to figure out why Englishmen look like rabbits in headlights against them???

You're the poster boy for the English mentality ting themselves in awe at the mere presence of an Aussie Rugby player......I bet your heart flutters at the sight of Thurston's girlish hair. (BTW I don't care if he is the best player in the world, his hair in the promo pics with Burrow is fu**ing awful unless you're Miss World 1962)

Twice the number of people registered as playing the game in Australia plus the surrounding islands and new Zealand on top of that, is it really a surprise to anyone that our success against them is limited, makes perfect sense to me. Enjoy our competition for what it is, there are still fantastic athletes and for entertainment beats union and football hands down, while in the meantime helping our sport to cast it's net further and on occasion get closer to the southern hemisphere.

Yep agree with all that.

I think there is a physical skill deficit too though. Though not as pronounced as some would proclaim, and I think that physical skill deficit is partly a symptom of the mental deficit. I think the NRL is generally more focussed and professional than all but 2 or 3 of the SL clubs. Then add in the big disparity in playing numbers and the generally poor state of the amateur game in this country and I think that pretty much covers why they beat us more often than not.

It's why I disagree with those who say we need to significantly raise the salary cap, as if that will somehow cure the problem. When the problems aren't related to how much players are paid. We need much more money going into clubs infrastructure including back room staff and senior management and we need much more money and focus on revolutionising the amateur game that is still stuck in the 80's.

Do that and I reckon we'll get much closer to beating the Aussies regularly.

Its the major reason why I am going - we seldom get the opportunity to see the very best players in the flesh. In Thurston you have the very best and in Matt Scott another really top player that I am looking forward to watching. Perhaps if you opened your mind to the game as a whole and not let it solely revolve around Leeds you might have a more rounded view on some matters. What has Thurston's hair got to do with anything for goodness sake!!

As you seldom actually attend a game you hardly in a position to criticise the rationale of those who do

Technically the Aussies are so far ahead of us in the positions that matter i.e. 1,6,7,9,13 - which is why your point about Galloway, Falloon, Moa etc is nonsense. It is obvious - even Stevie Wonder can see it - they are better physically prepared this is demonstrated virtually every time these games are played also in internationals that matter.

It isn't about ting themselves - sometimes the opposition are far superior and if they have come with the correct mind set i.e. this is bit more than a training run, isn't a lot you can do. Especially now the Aussies have started to take it semi-serious.

Saints can be very hit and miss but it maybe OK to have a slow loose forward at 6 in SL it just doesn't work against faster more technically adept teams.

If these games were played in Australia in April it would be even more embarrassing. If North Queensland are anything close to top form on Sunday the Saints result will look good by comparison. They have been here for a week so they will no excuse. McDermott's interview suggested he thinks something bad was coming over the hill his body language was terrible

In fairness Saints made Salford look like NRL Premiers last week.

I think we also really need to just look at how totally awful Saints were. They look small and flimsy in the outside backs and the forwards dropped off tackles like they were being paid to.
Pressure was all on them as well and they couldn't handle it. Roosters were just having a jolly.

I don't think you really know what your talking about mate...

The aussies have better halves and fullbacks I agree in general, in terms of that the majority of NRL players in these positions would get in the England team
However they dont have a monopoly on good 9s, 13 hasn't been a key position for about 15 years in the NRL and the best 13 is English anyway (Burgess!), also Hardaker is a better fullback than Coote who for me is the weak point of their spine

Also the opinions that we will get heavily beat, and that your going to watch Thurston, are contrasting
Thurston is such a great player because he wins tight games, and its in tight games when he shines
If we get heavily beat you probably wont see him stand out too much (except for the occassional good kick/pass), the way they would heavily beat us is if their pack gets on top and Granville and Morgan demolish us with their speed around the markers and A defenders

Your right mate, those 2 England captains would never have made it down under
Also our treble obviously had nothing to do with our (young) backline or our freeflowing style of attack

Guess you wouldn't know as you were apparently forgot they were playing in 2015
Im sure youll admit you were wrong if we win though right?

Deary me, what an embarrassing post, even by your standards. You do realise you just proved Printer's point?

If the Aussies are so far ahead why have they only won 6 of the last 12 WCC matches? Were they not trying in the other 6?
Leeds have been in 6 WCC games, winning 3 of them. How the hell did that happen against such a superior competition?

The last time we, England, played the Aussies in a game that "matters" we were a finger tip away from knocking them out of the 4N and putting us in the finals. And that's being polite because we all know that try should've been given

Unlike you I'm going on Sunday to support my club and hopefully watch them record a memorable win against the NRL's best. That probably won't happen but to be fair we're missing more than half of our GF winning team whilst the Aussies are playing the same 17. If that was reversed then we'd all be expecting a comfortable Leeds win and you'd be spouting some garbage about the Aussies not taking it seriously and only sending half a team over....

Of course it'll be nice to JT play again but you sound like a little girl saying he's the reason you're going. I'll look out for you jumping up and down on the spot, clapping like a seal and screaming, like a Belieber, every time he gets the ball.