Ferres played if i remember correctly

So it begins....the great battle of our time!

He did, you are correct, my mistake.

Jamie Peacock returns for the 2020 ashes series.

If you post a thread giving reasons why a team can't win it's reasonable to expect a response countering that position. People would be "sheep" if they just agreed with you.

Maybe Internet forums aren't for you.

Your analogy of our forefathers fighting for our country, as opposed to a group of professional sportsmen is frankly ridiculous.



Once again, is there any need to be derisory by telling me to go shopping!

My point was a simple one, some people really believe England have a great chance on Saturday, whilst others don’t. But there is no need for the believers to chastise those who have a different view – it’s ironically quite a similar stance to one of the regimes our forefathers fought against & which you referenced.

What about the opinions of just about every RL pundit and analyser who said that the best Half back in SL this year was Danny Brough? Do you think McNamara is more knowledgeable than them too? How about the players who voted Danny Brough man of steel, they are wrong as well are they?

The aussies must be having a real laugh at us, going into the tournament without our best in form player. Strangely i don't see them handicapping themselves by not playing Cooper Cronk to even it up! Their coach has more sense.

We may never have had enough to take on the Aussies or New Zealanders, but in reality we will never know, because the best team isn't on the pitch to take them on. One man's unbending arrogance has cost us that chance. Now he doesn't even have the patience to do his job properly and face the media firing difficult questions at him.

The end result as we all know deep down, will be a loss next week, McNamara getting the chop and a missed opportunity that comes around so rarely!

I really don’t know what New Zealand have done to be considered in such awe by many of the posters on this forum

They have stormed through what is clearly a poor group (the evidence being that both the second and third placed team in their group were soundly beaten in the quarter finals)

The last time New Zealand played Australia they were beaten 32-12 and the last time they played England they were hammered 28-6 (funnily enough England had Rangi Chase and Kevin Sinfield at half back that day up against those no-hopers in Benji Marshall and Kieran Foran!)

And yet somehow, despite this they have turned into Supermen in the eyes of many on this forum but I genuinely don’t see why

The are no reasons England CANNOT beat the Kiwis, I'm sure there are plenty of reasons we WON'T win - but "CANNOT" ??? - totally wrong word there !!!

Come on you whites, we CAN do it !

Yes it's very bizarre, it's a 50/50 game and no reason at all why we can't win it, especially with it being at Wembley.

Please don't speak on my behalf there's a good chap.

in June, well before the WC kick off Danny Brough decided he wanted to be Scottish again this year so McNamara couldn't pick him however well he played in the season.

Also if you think the Aussies would be remotely worried about Danny Brough you are kidding yourself.

OK, because I am a little bored at work…

Point 1. Mossop and T. Burgess will not be in the game day 17 so listing them is pretty irrelevant

Point 2. This goes two ways and in tough matches the Kiwis have lacked discipline in recent times

Point 3. This being the same half back pairing as the last England New Zealand match which England won 28-6

Point 4. Are you actually raising a four prop rotation of S. Burgess, G. Burgess, Hill and Graham as a negative? This is the best four prop rotation England/GB has had for as long as I can remember

Point 5. Seeing as though Widdop hasn’t got into the 17 man game day squad and Sinfield and Chase have been the consistent half back pairing for a few years now, I would assume from this that McNamara is pretty clear as to what his half back pairing should be. Ferres is clearly ahead of Farrell and I am not sure that a wing selection will cause lack of continuity. I grant you he has shuffled the hooking role around but come Saturday Roby will play the major role (whether that be the full 80 minutes, on from the start to be spelled by Burrow or to replace McIloram after 20 minutes. I suspect this is more about tactics though than a lack of knowledge of these players)

Apart from all this lot, your post was accurate

Yeah, I had a feeling you would have been.

I think England RL and McNamara should have done everything in their power to get Brough in an England shirt, yes. But since he decided to play for Scotland theres not much we can do about it now and saying we should have Brough in our team for this WC is pointless because its impossible. So my point was that without him, and with the players that are available, McNamara believes Chase is the right man for the job.

Do try and enjoy the semi final mate even with the 'I hate the coach, the team isnt good enough and we are definitely going to lose' glasses on.