With Archer as ref and Clark as VR none of those team would have a prayer!

Glad my rant has lead to some positive discussion! Giving the younger players a chance this tour means that at least next time round we have a bigger pool of players with international experience to choose from, can't be a bad thing, will create some healthy competition for a few places in the side. It goes without saying that we don't have the depth of the Australian's have but there are several young lads who have had a taste of international rugby and hopefully this can help motivate them to keep working hard and developing their games to keep themselves involved on the international scene. There is a good balance in this team and there seams to be no real egos in the team, perhaps bar Ryan Atkins who by some accounts is a bit of a playboy.

Looking ahead I think the two positions in need of most attention are for another centre to go alongside Shenton and a creative scrum half with a good kicking game. I have put together a list of players I feel are in contention for each position looking to the future:

Full Back: Sam Tomkins, Leroy Cudjoe
Wings: Peter Fox, Darrel Goulding, Ryan Hall, Richard Owen, Tom Briscoe, Lee Smith
Centres: Michael Shenton, Chris Bridge, Martin Gleeson, Ryan Atkins, Josh Charnley, Michael Lawrence
Halfbacks: Gareth Widdop (he will be most likely featuring for Melbourne at 6), Kyle Eastmond, Leon Price, Danny Mcguire, Luke Robinson, Kevin Brown, Danny Brough, Richie Myler
Props: James Graham (hopefully with NRL experience), Jamie Peacock, Adrian Morley, Sam Burgess, Eorl Crabtree, Bryn Hargreaves, Liam Watts, Louis McCarthy Scarsbrook
Hooker: James Roby, Shaun Lunt, Michael McIlorum, Scott Moore
Second Row: Gareth Ellis, Joel Tomkins, Gareth Hock, Ben Westwood, Elliot Whitehead, Ben Harrison (would benefit his career massively to go to NRL), Joe Westerman
Loose Forward: Kevin Sinfield, Sean O'Loughlin

I will have a few missed players out who will be in contention but I suspect this list will contain the majority of the next England team selected. If we create a national pool and stick the likes of these in a train on squad it should create some good competition for international places

People leaving ben Westwood out?? Englands player of the tournament so far for me. Why mcbanana took him off today along with burgess and Graham baffles me, they were tearing in to the Aussies in both attack and defence and they have great work rates and big engines. I sometimes think some coaches spell players just because it's the done thing and they don't look at what's happening at the time they're planning on making the sub.

If I were the captain of England I would have got my team and walked off the field.The bias given to the Aussies was unbelievable.

Y'know, when dyed-in-the-wool Ockers like you come on and say things like that, it just seals the deal for me. I haven't seen such unashamed bias from home officials since several cricket teams toured Pakistan in the '80's.

Get a grip will you.I've been saying this all along.


Go the Kiwis now.

Can't argue with that mate,you have always supported a strong international game but I have to admit some of them decisions this morning was shocking.

It was noticable that both Graham and Burgess, after being replaced around the usual 20minute were re-introduced before halftime, and the England side steadied.

Sorry, i don't always read everything you post.

I am a pom... and I have lived in aus for over 2 years...

and watched the NRL first hand and I have 2 things to say about yesterdays game...

1) I was embarrassed!... call the officials all you like but the attack should never have been in that position.. appaling defending all through the game
2) the aussie team never played at more than half pace... those players and the team have several gears extra...

dont delude yourselves the game in england is falling worryingly behind the rest of the world.

Cheers, underground. You and a few other Poms have not let emotion overrule perception.

Ben Westwood was fantastic yesterday, and he was great in last year's four nations too.