Absolutely bang on. Sinfield is a good, intelligent player, but he has very limited speed and little or no creative spark. This basically means that he's a postbox at number 6. Contrast that to the Aussies, where Thurston and Lockyer take on the line and offer threat every time they touch the ball. Stick Sinfield at 13 (really, Heighington is little more than a cultural cringe towards the NRL - both JJB and Wilkin played better when they came on). Then we can play Widdop at 6. Unfortunately, I suspect all the training has been for this combination, and Macnamara is just not good enough a coach to be able to change things around successfully, or even admit to being wrong in his initial selections.

I thought Thurston was superb and Australia whenever they had to step up a gear they could. England still to me look like a side that when forced to defend there own 20 look like they will concede. If NZ get in the last 20 they will score!!

Sam Thaiday is immense.

Widdop has to play. Sienfield should not be in the halves!!

Ryan Hall is just a brilliant finisher. Everytime I see him play whenever he has a sniff of the tryline he does not disappoint. His 1st try was world class!!

Briscoe did score but he still messed up by not going for the line. It was the wrong decision and there would of been no doubt if he went for the line.

Tomkins was very very good. Thats the 1st time v top opposition for England I have seen him put in the positions to make things happen and he did just that. If there is one English back that Australia will want in the NRL it's Tomkins.

We can take them in the final. Just cut out the silly mistakes and be more clinical close to the line. It was 2 tries a piece at halftime but we should have been going in at the break in front, we had more territory and posession and should have converted it to points. Instead, not only did we not go to the break in front, we went in 4 points behind!

Then a stupid mistake and boom, Inglis is over. Then in the space of 2 minutes aus should have been a man down, and only 4 points ahead with briscoe scoring. Instead none of the above comes to pass aus go up the other end and make it 24-8, game over.

Australia are ruthless and if you give them an inch, they take a mile.

Overall it was 6 tries to 4 (should have been 5) and considering england were pretty much playing without 2 forwards for an entire half, and one on one leg, it's a bloody good effort. We should feel confident we can make the final and beat them, because we can.

England need to tighten up their fringe defence, if they can defend australia better when they work the ball wide, we will win.

On another note, I never read as much rubbish on here as when the internationals roll around. I don't know whether people are taking the m*ck or what, but it's a one opinion fits all thing. It doesn't matter what happens in the game it's ''english rugby league will be dead in 2 years, the poms are shocking, australia won at a canter and would have broken a thousand if they could be bothered, england are further behind than ever before blah blah blah''.

People are idiots.

By 'step up a gear' do you mean simply score when field position is gifted to them? Clinical yes, but hardly stepping up a gear.

I know it sounds bitter but I can't remember a game of england australia where england got the rub of the green in terms of refs calls. Bounce of the ball and 50/50 calls always go aus way and england needs those things going their way to beat them,.

The bounce of the ball consistently going their way is mainly due to the fact that they are always ready for the offload. We spend too much time not doing that and instead setting up for the next tackle. Twice in good positions an England player got the ball out in a dangerous area and players who should have been in a position to capitalise were looking the other way pointing at their own line.

Good turn out,but dare I say it after 31 years of London RL why wasn't it sold out.

I remember going to Manchester City AFC's 'new' stadium a few short years ago and thinking what a fantastic stadium it was,and guess what RL has never been back there.

Had it been at Manchester City's ground today I would definitely have been there,but down to London and staying over is just a bridge too far just now personally.

Couple of things on this thread
Yep the ref should have gone to the video for the disallowed try, there was nothing wrong with it, and the penalty for the offload after the tackle was complete when it was not, do not see anyone on here complaining about the scrum we won when the aus player got taken in to touch with his foot lifted! soon as the foot is lifted tackle should be called complete
The head shot did not deserve a yellow! the fight shoudl have resulted in a yellow

31 years of RL in London means we should have filled Wembley errr how many of the "heartland" supporters bothered with Leigh last week? is next week sold out yet?
The "jewel in the crown" event for RL as in the trand final, was it full? why not you lot have had over 100 years of RL
It was a good crowd!! and a brave move to take it to Wembley

''you lot''?

What do you mean by that?

The head shot did not deserve a yellow,am I reading that right,are you serious.Remember when Adrian Morley was sent off in the first minute at Wigan vs Australia,so you tell me what was the difference between that and today.

London,the metropolis of what is it around 7 million people and yet the upper tier remained empty.

Because the game was in London, and RL has been going in London for 31years it was suggested the place should be full of Londoners!
the "heartland" has had over 100 years of RL but did not fill Old trafford for the Grand Final! it was just a daft comment! By the way I am a northerner in excile down here
If this had been played at Old Trafford would it have been full? who knows, personally i would like to think so but doubt it very much

I hope the final is a sell out!

the Adrian Morley sending off, even Mozza agrees it was a sending off, first tackle of the game and a player sets his stall out like that, the ref has no choice to respond!
I have not seen the shot on TV yet so yep may change my mind, it was on the whole a pretty clean game, so i stand by it one incident like that at that stage of the game did not deserve a yellow

If 40k plus northerners made the trip south why couldn't enough Londoners at least match that figure from a huge 7 million population after 31 years of pro RL and on their own doorstep.

Stop making excuses for the Aussie who should have walked no question.

What I can't understand is why Tomkins doesn't play stand off? He looks a traditional stand off to me.

40k plus made the trip!!!!!
ok if thats what you want to think then fair enough
obviously there were no Kiwi or oz supporters there just northerners who graced Wembley with there presence!