Agreed and for the life in me aI can't understand why we don't show the same passion.

It's a reflection of Britain today. There is no pride, no will to be the best.

I really don't know why it is, most of the time a lot of our players look like they really cant be bothered when they put an England jersey on - some of these are the same players who can quite easily get fired up and kiss the badge of their club shirt.

Something is very wrong attitude wise.

Nah.

It's just the way the kiwis play the game, we simply aren't as physical in our play but also genetically.

Our gene pool sucks for rugby league.

We need the pack to hit hard and be aggressive.

Graham
Roby
Morley
Peacock
Westwood
Ellis

Burgess
Crabtree
Carvell
Eastmond

Burgess to be used as impact prop, Crabtree to be put in SR ( just use him as a battering ram running out wide.)

Sinfield hasn't got the size to play loose against either of the sides on show tonight, and we need Burgess at prop, so Ellis will have to do there for mine.

regardless of the individuals selected, england need to perform a whole lot better as a team if they are to have any chance.

More agression in attack and defence, more stucture and speed in our defence and more variation and off the ball work in attack.

As we've seen in the past, a well structured and motivated team can give a better team a beating.

The big issue is that they need to be coached well and we need to get the best out of our resources. Smith so far hasn't shown the quailities to do this.

Picking two forwards, a hooker and a utility on the bench isn't the way to get he most out of our limited resources.

IMO we go with plenty of size and agression in the forwards, play quick short balls around the ruck and mix things up with the sort of balls Graham plays to anther forward on his shoulder (like the one the kiwis scored with last night). It's the only way we will make ground - trying to play it wide will lose us ground!

The aussies are to structured in defence out wide and our attack is too laboured to beat them out wide.

Well that's ALL the Soooperdoooper league coaches condemned then but you are correct.

Some of the coaching of out "elite" players is woeful and as for tackling/defensive skills

Even our "best" team have to resort to dubious wrestling techniques as a defensive measure.

Slow PTB is ALL they know and slow it down at the ruck.

European RL just cannot compete in the speed around the ruck area.

the kiwis all seem to be man mountains

The only chance we have next week is if we play a "loose game".

We haven't got a hope if we play it tight and get into "an arm wrestle"

That means we have to rely on players with individual flair (Tomkins, Eastmond and Myler) and just hope it comes off.

We may get beat by a bucketload , but we mustn't come away from the game wondering what would have happened if the kids had played.

We got battered in Melbourne last year with an experienced side, so give the kids go.

I agree totally with that, playing it through the middle and trying to barnstorm over them will not work, as you say, the 2 half backs will have to have massive games to try and dictate and control the game, but that of course bears another question, are they good enough to do that?

IMO on paper our forwards are the best we have been able to offer for many years. Wether we have the skills to get the best out of them is a different matter.

Where we are at a serious disadvantage is in both Centre berths. We are massively weak here and this is where I feel we'll be most exploited by the skills of Australia and the power of New Zealand.

Kyle Eastmond must play and id play him at either Centre instead of Shenton or Full Back instead of Briscoe.

My team against Australia would be...

1.Briscoe
2. Briscoe
3. Smith
4. Eastmond
5. Hall
6. McGuire
7. Myler
8. Morley
9. Moore
10. Peacock
11. Ellis
12. Burgess
13. Wilkin

14. Roby
15. Graham
16. Carvell
17. Bridge

We'll get completely hammered if we play it loose and rely on flair. We haven't got the flair players to do it vs the Aussies. Look at Super League's top team: their most dangerous and skillful attacking players are Brent Webb and Ali Lauititi, neither of whom can get into the Kiwi squad, and that says it all.

If were relying on our backs and fare to win us the game we will get beat and beat heavily, we need our very good forward pack to try and get on top, just as the Kiwis did, throwing young kids in against a very good Aussie side could do more harm than good, we need some kind of big game experience in the halfs so McGuire has to start, whether Tomkins or Myler player along side him I'm unsure, Id even consider Sinfield at 6 and McGuire at 7