I don't share the feelings of negativity about Steve Mc, OK he's unproven but isn't every new National coach when they first get the job.

His coaching record at the Bulls is average but come on he was offered the $hitty end of the stick a real poisoned chalice of an opportunity and I doubt the combined forces of Noble/Elliott and Smith would have fared any better than McNamara.

Whoever said that you had to be a proven domestic coach to cut it at international level anyway, Mal Reilly wasn’t, neither was Ellery Hanley and on the other side of the argument you could look at Fabio Capello's abject failure at International level after being almost peerless domestically. You could also look at the failures of David Waite and Tony Smith who both had very good coaching successes before becoming our National coach.

Maybe Steve McNamara will find his niche as an international coach, he's certainly spent much of his career as a player and coach mixing with and learning from some very good coaches.

Maybe he'll be a nightmare and England will get flogged but I like the things that S.McN has said and done so far with the exception of Gleeson’s exclusion but even that shows strength of conviction which might auger well.

I'll give him the benefit of the doubt until I see differently

widdop at fullback, sam t and brown in the halves, griffin starts at prop fielden and graham not playing.

I'm assuming this one's not on sky?

No ... it's on Sky Sports 1 at 5.30am

Excellent.

Can england win though?

You would have thought so... but those Maori are big boys... and they dont like the english an awful lot...

They love the English, its the Convicts they despise.

But thats the same thing?


The convicts were English?

Well Irish, Welsh and Scottish too I suppose.....

G Widdop (Melbourne); T Briscoe (Hull), M Shenton (Castleford), R Atkins (Warrington), R Hall (Leeds); K Brown (Huddersfield), S Tomkins (Wigan); A Morley (Warrington, capt), J Roby (St Helens), D Griffin (Huddersfield), G Ellis (Wests Tigers), S Burgess (South Sydney), S O'Loughlin (Wigan).

Subs: L Robinson (Huddersfield), E Crabtree (Huddersfield), J Tomkins (Wigan), B Westwood (Warrington), B Harrison (Warrington), L Cudjoe (Huddersfield).

A General what?


Idea?


Concept of winning?


all round ability?

Ha........ha.......ha.......

is there ANY danger whatsoever of England losing this game?

i'd like to see harrison in 2nd row and burgess pushed up to prop. harrisons defence is awesome i think having two real grafters in the secon row with o lochlin will be a real benefit as we are always busted open on the fringes and they can help out the centres in defence. I fear for us where ryan hall is concerned i dont rate im he's very dodgy under the high ball and has very little pace for a winger at international level in my opinion. I dont know enough about the nz maouri to say if the game will be tough or not but judging by our last trip to the land of the sweaty gypsys!

Dont give up the day job reggie.

If you have one.

Where is this 'land of the sweaty Gypsies' you speak of anyway?