I'll be disappointed if Lomax starts at 1 and Tomkins isn't featured. It's a really key position for England's attack given the gulf between their 3/4s and that of NZ. I haven't seen anything to convince me that Lomax can consistently be an attacking threat from FB at international level.

In the last series v NZ England had recently crowned MOS Zak Hardaker at 1 and he was made to look well out of his depth with ball in hand.

Who then?

And Myler hasn’t done too bad considering how poor a team he was in this year, up near the top of the try assists list.

I would have Tomkins in over Lomax because Lomax is crap full stop, show pony nothing more, he is only inn the side because for some inexplicable reason he is on a central contract. i would have Ratcford in over both of them and he is not all that.

Having stopped to think about that I’m struggling. The only one I could come up with is Sneyd.

Has Myler been good? He reminds me of Tony Smith a few years back at Wigan, ok player but rarely creates space with his passing game.

We don't have many good consistent half backs, never mind any international class ones. Having said that, I cannot recall Andy Gregory, Shaun Edwards or Shaun Long (to name but three) getting the better of the Aussies when it mattered. These days, were reliant on our pack to win games with brute strength.

Rathford injured or dropped?

Probably not good but those other terms we’ve used “ok” and “not bad”....unfortunately that’s the reality of the depth of English HB’s.

Edwards no, long definitely not,(apart from one good game in Sydney) Gregory plenty, second best British scrum half ever behind Ale Murphy, best in my lifetime, and finally got the nod for the Hall of fame.

Gregory - 2 wins versus Australia
Edwards - 1 win versus Australia
Long - 1 win versus Australia

Long - 04 in Wigan and 06 in Sydney, arguably the man of the match in both

But not when it mattered.

Gregory ripped to kangaroos apart in the 3 rd test in 86, we was robbed by the most outrageous penalty try ever given.
close to winning series in 88 and should have won in 1990 unlucky with injury on 92 tour he may have been the difference in deciding close 3rd test, fact is we have not really looked like beating them in a test series since 1994. o to be playing the kangaroos as GB every 2 years again.

Thing is that we've had better half backs over the years, but have not managed to win a test series decider, world cup knock out fixture or 4 nations match when it matters against the Aussies for a very long time.

We just don't lay them enough anymore and they have state of origin to raise the bar for their elite players. We only have NZ as a real test match match team willing to play, and that's like every 4 years, we used to play NZ tour every 4 years sandwiched in between kangaroo tours every 4 plus tours against both down under. when your playing them combined on average 3 times a year even with lesser players in the 80's we could raise our game and run them close. 82 kangaroos and to some extent the 86 kangaroos are exceptions but even in 86 (a better side than the 82 kangaroos for me) we played some good stuff in first test and should have won the 3rd. Tragic state of affairs is we simply have allowed international Rl to wither away.