It's beyond belief that some of you are saying Farrell shouldn't be in the team. I'm not sure what more he could do to prove how good he is, his defence is second to none, he makes more breaks than any other second rower I can think of, his footwork is brilliant, he can kick if needed and his passing is very good. The amount of tries he scores and sets up is pretty outstanding for a second rower. He was the best forward on the field last night.

With regards to Smith, I really wish McNamara didn't pick him. He's not had a good enough season and I think this is the worst thing for him, it's not like we're devoid of halfbacks this season. Last night will have done his confidence some damage and if he gets picked for England he'll only get more abuse. I'd like to see Williams/Gale then Widdop/Gale and as much as I want the team to move forward I think Danny McGuire is unlucky not to be included.

Disappointed Walmsley won't be playing, think he'd have made a serious impression against the kiwi props.

One last point about Tomkins, how many of you actually watch New Zealand Warriors games? Because if you did you'd see that he's been far from poor. He's been injured for a lot of the season so hasn't really stood out. The team he's playing in are not very good at all, Johnson never wants to pass for one. The games he has played in he has played well, his first two games this season he was their best player and the NZW fans all thought they were a much better team with him on the pitch.
No he's not has a good a season as Hardaker but he's playing in a team in a harder competition having been injured. Tomkins is a once in a generation kind of player. Hardaker is a better defender but if the side is good enough then your fullback shouldn't be getting tested all that often in defence. Tomkins attack is better in every aspect of the game.

Hardaker may deserve to play this season but to suggest he's a better player than Tomkins is ridiculous. The international team needs to have a core of senior players and Tomkins is one of those.

I agree it sounds like McNamara isn't going to drop Tomkins from fullback. I may be and hope I am wrong because I think Hardaker is a significantly better fullback than Tomkins.

Before any Wigan fans get their knickers in a twist, I think Tomkins is a cracking player who's strengths haven't been played to at NZW. The problem is I don't think those strengths will be played to at International level with Tomkins at fullback either. He needs to get the ball in certain situations to thrive, to do that from fullback requires the team to play in a certain way in order to maximise opportunities for the fullback. I don't necessarily that will or should happen with England.
We need to get the ball to the likes of Cudjoe and Watkins and get them running at the Kiwis defence.
I do think Tomkins can be dangerous from stand off where he'll get the ball a lot and can often run and take on the defence but without massively affecting the structure of the attack. Pair him with a half who can distribute and kick and it should be alright.

If I were picking the team I'd go with:
1. Hardaker
2. Burgess
3. Watkins
4. Cudjoe
5. Hall
6. Tomkins
7. Widdop
8. Graham
9. Roby
10. Burgess
11. Bateman
12. Whitehead
13. O'Loughlin

14. Hodgson
15. Hill
16. Cooper
17. Farrell

As an aside, I don't know how Matty Smith has made the squad. I think he's had an average year.

SM was at the Grand Final and he must've watched a few Wigan games this year. That being the case, the fact he's picked Matty Smith AND is talking about him like he's first choice should be reason for dismissal alone.

If I hadn't bought my tickets months ago i'd currently be giving serious thought about not bothering with this tour to be honest.

I'd be more interested in his opinion on the colour of snow than any opinion you had on anything - jog on.

Hey, most Wigan fans agree with you! I certainly do. Hardaker at full-back should be the first name on the team sheet. When it comes to partnering Widdop in the halves, for me (and I suspect most people) Smith is way down in the pecking order, below Sam T, Gale, and Williams.

If he goes with Smith despite his mediocre form and he flops , McNamara has nowhere to hide with the in form options he has at his disposal for once.