Diana?

Do you work for the Daily Express?

I blame Hull KR

Research "relevant contextual interference" part of Psychomotor learning for sport, which is a sport science

Im pretty confident that an England international is used to passing in the rain. Im pretty sure if you are from England and play RL, you can pass in the rain. International players will have grown up playing for amateur sides who played and trained in the English winter. If anything I would expect that passing in the dry would be a more alien concept. Regardless, if they haven’t learned by now how to pass in the rain despite decades of experience, its probably not worth trying to learn 2 weeks before the world cup.

Its probably better to get away from distractions, spend some time building up team unity and trust, doing some fitness work and running some drills. You might want to go somewhere were the weather is predictable and isn’t going to affect your carefully planned build up, where the players can get together and spend time together removed from their usual environment. You might even think ahead and go somewhere on a similar time-zone so that you can minimise the effects of flying.

Almost certainly.
Half of those teams would not beat the bottom half of the teams in the NRL.

Leave Steve alone! Could you forge a team unit out of players that spend the rest of te year bashing the hell out of each other? No you couldn't ! It freaking difficult. This guy got Bradford to within 80 minutes of the challenge cup final where they lost to Saints the eventual cup winners! He got bradford to within 80 mins of the grand final where they lost to hull the eventual finalists! Can you say that? No!

He's had so much to put up with an his team only got back from South Africa last week! Anyway Italy are good they have players like minnichello and lefranchi! They're coached by a guy that played in superleague! Is it any wonder we lost?

Just get behind Steve and the team they don't need people like you! I bet you claim to support England but then talk about the coach like this! LEAVE STEVE ALONE!

I blame the manufacturer of the ball for England's poor performance against Italy on Saturday. Oh, and the rain too.

Who do I complain to?

The manufacturers of Steeden or Rhino?

As so predictable we have an OTT thread.

It was a meaningless friendly that the lads should have taken more seriously, but didn't.

People banging on at how if will effect the great tournament momentum, well if it stops you from buying a ticket then more fool you.

How many times in RL do we see sides put in a very mediocre performance one week then the very next look a completely different side? Particularly ones captained by Kevin Sinfield!

I'm not saying England will turn up and stream roll Australia but they will be a completely different side, still may get beat but thats more to do with how good Australia are.

The lads have eff'd up and they know it, now lets get behind them and help to make this weekend pretty special.

Im guessing we will hear positive spin from coach, captain and various players on the run up to Saturday.

For 15 minutes we may edge it, rip into the tackles , even edge in front on the scoreboard (Ryan Hall try from a Sinfield kick) then the Aussies will go through the gears.

Australia by 14.

Hope I am wrong mind..

This sentence perfectly sums up the current state of English Rugby League.



How was it a meaningless game? It was the last game before one of the most important tournaments in recent years and the players should have been 100% switched on for it.

Would the other nations we are ranked among have taken it so lightly or would they have gone out there and shown no mercy whatsoever and trounced Italy by plenty?

Sounds close to the mark.

If you know you're taking part in a world cup for your country in a week's time, you're not going to put your body on the line for a warm up game.

If you're a fringe player you might put more effort in, in an attempt to secure a starting spot but RL is a team sport so unfortunately it's rarely enough.

It's the Leeds Rhinos strategy as orchestrated by their eminent skipper. A strategy which has most recently been adopted successfully by Wigan.

Treat all games as meaningless warm-up games which are not to be taken too seriously.

Accumulate all your energy, intensity and seriousness only for the games which really count.

Only benefit of going to SA would have been the altitude training.... training with less oxygen increases the workload and ultimately means the athlete is "fitter" and can perform better when tired. That is why boxers train at altitude.

So the SA trip was beneficial if they did it correctly - I'm not sure how long they were there or even if they were in a place that was above sea level.

Should have invited a South African Super 15 team for a "friendly" instead... some of those guys are just ridiculously huge. Would have toughened us up.

Not really. One of the main benefits is being able to do quality ball work, try out combinations, without worrying about inclement weather.

All these people who are suggesting that it would be best that the team trains in driving rain & wind 'cos that's the conditions they'll play in' a) seem to have forgotten the opening match will be played in perfect conditions under a closed roof and b) are stuck in the last century.