As others have said we looked much better with Graham and Hill on. Drop one of the Burgess twins for Taylor, Sam needs to calm down a bit and stick to what he does best, Percival for either centre. Any combination of our halves pretty average at this level. I'd stick with Gale and maybe try Williams against Scotland.

On the positive side, wingers, Hill, Graham, Hodgson all played well.

Typical England/Great Britain for the last 30 years - get themselves in a position to win the game (or at least get a draw), but don't have the bottle or nouse to go on and do it.

Any halfback worth their salt would have taken control in those last 10-15 mins, ordered the troops around and at least slotted over a point.

Widdop can only play to structure - he can't play what's in front of him or deviate from the plan, he's what I call a manufactured half. Gale, just didn't grab the game as a halfback should. Too happy to watch the big boys take over.

Kudos to Widdop (who most already know I really don't rate) for his goal kicking and the bat on - without those plays, we're not close.

To play Devil's advocate, Widdop did play what's in front of him with the cross-field kick that resulted in the chance for Watkins. I'm no fan, but he didn't have his worst game for England today. And I still wouldn't necessarily be opposed to his going to full-back, either.

That's his best position, and one he's very good at! He can defend, he's safe under the bomb and he's a master of the pre-mediated 'ball out the back' - The problem is, we're so short of 6's (as are St George - plus a decent 6 will cost you $1m in the NRL), we've decided that's where he should play..... what this team is crying out for is a Schofield type 6 who, with their head up, can decide to run/pass/kick to equal effect, depending on what's on front of them. Unfortunately we don't produce those type of players anymore.

Exactly! If he was a footballer, he'd be a defensive midfielder, not a No. 10.

Gary Schofield couldn't play under Wayne Bennet (or any NRL coach for that matter), as soon as he tried a chip over the top in his own half he would be sent packing.
Its also worth mentioning that there isn't a 6 in the world at the level Schoey was at in the early 90s. (thurstan is a 7 for his club btw)

I was thinking the same as I watched the game. I even went back further to the 80s to list skillful English no 6s

Myler
Topliss
Woods
Joyner

I've always thought Watkins was a very good centre and one of the few in that team with real pace.he seems to be some fans scapegoat time and again.Lomax and Sargjnson on were under par yesterday imo and Gale and Widdop did nowhere near enough with the good possession and time the forwards made for them and it was groundhog day .Watkins And Mcgilvarry were solid and Hall took his one chance but I feel if that had been a centre in class of Moon he would have been put in 2 or 3 times.last 3 games of rugby league iv been to I've left sick as a chip and with decent generals in middle feel would have won comfortably.