Ironically, for once, McBanana has spoken some truth in his post match interview, probably because he knew he couldn't get away with anything less. He said that the team's attitude was all wrong and he promised that it would be better next week.

Too late, I would suggest. As you say, this result, and the apparently poor performance that went with it, has undermined what was some great momentum.

Apparently the go compare man put the drop goal over, and that chef off this morning scored the last try for them.

There's some bloody good players in that Italian set-up.

I thought luigi from the local pizzeria down the road got the decisive point?

Jetlag...yeah I'll go with jetlag

Quite

Not a lot of praise for the Italians here. They've got some good players & if they had Campese & Gower to help steer them around they could be a very handy side.

Shock result but a tough hit out will be more beneficial to England than a 70 pt win would have been.

...not many of them are Italian though and it's not like England RL aren't used to losing to Australians is it.

Haha jeez what can you say? Pathetic but atleast expectations will not be off the scale next week infact as things stand we are looking at a cricket score.

Things can only get better eh?

He's from Sheffield mate

Sinfield needs to retire from international RL with immediate effect.

It is all a little bit knee jerk, a decent performance against the Aussies next week and today is forgotten.

For me it's difficult to get rid of the niggle that this year is going to be another one of "if onlys" and tbh it all boils down to the coach. Since he's taken over there have been so many questionable selections, picking names rather than on form, sticking with certain players even though there are better options. This squad for the world cup has had me banging my head on the wall less than most McNamara squads, but there are still big question marks, most notably the halves and centres. But then again it hasn't been individual performances that have let us down as a whole. We look like a poorly coached team IMO.

We've got a genuine world class back 3 in Tomkins, Charnley and Hall who don't get their hands on the ball nearly as often as they should. We never look like we've got set moves ready. The half back partnership of Sinfield and Chase doesn't work, we saw this in 2011 but he will stick with it, and it will continue not to work. The decision to go to SA for warm weather and high altitude training does seem a strange one, most of the Wigan lads will still have been pi$$ed when they got on the plane, so by the time they had acclimatised to the jetlag I'm not sure how much top quality training will have happened.

I really hope I am wrong, that today was just a blip and we hit the ground running for the next 6 weeks, starting next Saturday. But from what we have seen from England in the last 3 years under McNamara, I am expecting disappointment once again.

How is losing to a fabricated team full of third rate Australians with a team that you can bet would have been close to McNamaras first choice team a knee jerk reaction exactly?

It's an absolute embarrassment and the sooner people wake up and acknowledge the total mess the game is in the better.

You can bet all will be well when we are 'gallantly' beaten next week though, because we showed 'heart' and 'potential'


It's been the same old for decades and any other sport would have pulled through. We are so decrepit and incapable that the same old story doesn't repeat itself it gets worse.

How is losing to a fabricated team full of third rate Australians with a team that you can bet would have been close to McNamaras first choice team a knee jerk reaction exactly?

It's an absolute embarrassment and the sooner people wake up and acknowledge the total mess the game is in the better.

You can bet all will be well when we are 'gallantly' beaten next week though, because we showed 'heart' and 'potential'


It's been the same old for decades and any other sport would have pulled through. We are so decrepit and incapable that the same old story doesn't repeat itself it gets worse.

That's the spirit.