England 24-man Squad

Quote: ToffeeLady "It's beyond belief that some of you are saying Farrell shouldn't be in the team. I'm not sure what more he could do to prove how good he is, his defence is second to none, he makes more breaks than any other second rower I can think of, his footwork is brilliant, he can kick if needed and his passing is very good. The amount of tries he scores and sets up is pretty outstanding for a second rower. He was the best forward on the field last night.

With regards to Smith, I really wish McNamara didn't pick him. He's not had a good enough season and I think this is the worst thing for him, it's not like we're devoid of halfbacks this season. Last night will have done his confidence some damage and if he gets picked for England he'll only get more abuse. I'd like to see Williams/Gale then Widdop/Gale and as much as I want the team to move forward I think Danny McGuire is unlucky not to be included.

Disappointed Walmsley won't be playing, think he'd have made a serious impression against the kiwi props.

One last point about Tomkins, how many of you actually watch New Zealand Warriors games? Because if you did you'd see that he's been far from poor. He's been injured for a lot of the season so hasn't really stood out. The team he's playing in are not very good at all, Johnson never wants to pass for one. The games he has played in he has played well, his first two games this season he was their best player and the NZW fans all thought they were a much better team with him on the pitch.
No he's not has a good a season as Hardaker but he's playing in a poop team in a harder competition having been injured. Tomkins is a once in a generation kind of player. Hardaker is a better defender but if the side is good enough then your fullback shouldn't be getting tested all that often in defence. Tomkins attack is better in every aspect of the game.

Hardaker may deserve to play this season but to suggest he's a better player than Tomkins is ridiculous. The international team needs to have a core of senior players and Tomkins is one of those.'"

It's one thing for me. He lies on and has second bites all the time, he's one of the most penalised players in SL where i think he gets away with a lot, at International level with Aussie refs he'll be pinged for everything.

I think he's a good player other than that. Fast runner, good passer, excellent defender...penalty machine.