It's become a cliché - almost a reflex - of RL fans on this side of the world to make statements like "This isn't a classic Australian side", or "This is a sub-standard Kangaroos squad" when the green and golds hove into view. Usually such a statement is made in the context of trying to show just how poor the England/GB side is, because they can't even beat a weakened Roos team. I've certainly heard that this time round, and indeed certainly every tournament since the 1995 World Cup.

I'm here to say that such statements are b@llox. Anyone claiming this isn't a superb Kangaroos side is talking out of their Harris, and has no greater value than an old fella moaning that nothing's as good as Van Vollenhoven/Boston/Huddart etc.

The reason I've heard given for why this set of Aussies are "not a classic side" is because they don't have stand-out players like a Lockyer, a Lewis or a Meninga. Cobblers. The reason they don't have particularly stand-out players is because they are ALL stand-out players. It's like saying that the Louvre's collection of art is weak because none of the works stand out.

Smith, Thurston, Cronk, Inglis, Slater, Thaiday, Gallen : these are astonishing athletes and incredible players. All of them, and their team-mates, would walk into any Aussie side I've seen since I started watching in 1982. Some of the skill on display today was breathtaking, and literally unimaginable from an English perspective. Most of their tries simply couldn't have been scored by an English player - we don't have the men with the fleetness of thought, let alone physical reaction, to do what they did. And that's before we get to a defence which hasn't conceded a single try in 400 minutes of Test rugby, against some very talented professional players.

I'm slightly appalled by the quality of the Aussies because I simply don't see where we can challenge that. This is easily the best Kiwi team in decades, and only the regrettable absence of Marshall weakens it significantly. It's also - controversial, I know - the strongest England side we've put out in decades. Maybe we've had better centres in the past, or craftier halves, but never all at the same time and married to a very strong pack. Yet neither the Kiwis nor England are in the same league as the Kangaroos on this showing.

The World Cup has been a wonderful festival of rugby league, with heart-warming moments and pleasure galore. It's shown again that when two sides of comparable ability come up against each other, then RL is an unmatched sporting spectacle. But it's also shown that the gulf between Australia and the rest remains a chasm. It is hard to see how it can be closed.

Salute the kangaroos, and stand in awe. When you're old men, you'll be able to tell your bored grandchildren that you witnessed possibly the best rugby league side ever to grace a field.

I mostly agree. They are certainly the best Kangaroos side in over a decade.

The answer to your question of how to beat them. Like NSW, you wait for those 30 something year old masters of our game retire, and lose in the meantime.

I'd disagree, defensively they are very good, but including today they havent been challenged since playing England

NZ stood off them today giving them room to play, something you cannot do with the Aussies

All different opinions

They are a very very good team. Some people would say the Australian team from the late 80's and early 90's with the likes of Stuart, Daley, Langer, the Walters brothers, Meninga , mark Carroll, E.T. Elias, ETC. But for me its the Team of 2011 with Lockyer in the squad and Cronk on the bench

I think the fact that they looked unchallenged was more to do with how good they were, rather than how poor NZ were. They were effectively so dominant that they looked as if NZ were no more of a threat than the USA, or Ireland. Yet this is the same NZ team who broke English hearts in a heroic game last week which most of us thought was about as high a quality performance as possible.

I think the Aussies made their own room to play, and denied the Kiwis similar space.

Well said.

at least their union team is being beaten lol

As I said, it seemed to me the Kiwi's didnt take more than 2 steps forward in defence, conceding 8 metres every tackle right from the start, the only way to play the Aussies is to get into their faces, thats what they did in 2008 , and what they did to England last week

All opinions

They've only played 2 'real' tests though, England in Cardiff, and the Kiwis today. Ok they've dispatched the 4th best team in the world more than comprehensively twice but i can't say that this Aussie team ever.

I felt in 2008 they were better but just got caught out in the final. I think the Aussies put 50 past both England and NZ that year.

I have read what has been said but to me the invincible, of the 1980 era were better they went a very long time before they got beat and I am talking about the old test matches they were greats

There have been times in the past when anyone who was fair dinkum would have the best 17 in the world as all Australian, but this time around Burgess, Graham, SBW and possibly a few others are better than their Aus counterparts.
Many of the Aus players are well past their best - Smith, Slater, Bird, Gallen and others are all past their best.

Watching the Kiwis today was like watching England in Tri and Four Nations finals against Australia. They looked beaten at the kickoff, absolutely drained of energy - whether that was nerves of the impact of last week who knows?

This is certainly as good an Australian side as there has been for the last 10-15 years, the only real "weakness" potentially being in the front row where they are nothing special. As for the "best ever", it's hard to compare.

The Invincible sides of 82 and 86 were made to look much better by the paucity of British opposition. It was effectively full time athletes against part time players. The Kiwis were a thorn in their side around that time though, pulling off some good performances with the likes of McGahan, Graham and Filipaina outstanding.

Through the 90s, GB were there or thereabouts against an Australian side featuring legends like Fittler, Daley, Meninga etc, just never being able to string two wins together in the same series.

The current Australian side is very, very good. How many of them would make it into an all time Australian XIII though, which is surely the measure of whether they are the "greatest ever"?

In the early 80's our rugby was so far behind the Aussies it's hard to really judge just how good they were.

We do know that now we have a number of players who are as good if not better than them.

The big difference is how composed and meticulous the Aussies are. They rarely put themselves under pressure, they work their way through their sets, they execute their last play, they make sure everyone is ready for the kick, or they have numbers to defend a kick.

No amazing skills, no standout performances, just 100% composure and execution.

Compare to last week when with 2 mins to go, we got out of position on the 4 th tackle and subsequently put an aimless kick in the air, giving the kiwis field position to get back in our half. No way the Aussies would have put an aimless punt like that with 2 mins to go.

That isn't superstar play, it is very good preparation and mental strength.

Just thinking through the Aus squad, only Inglis, Hayne and a few of the bench guys might still be in the side in 4 years time.
Slater, Smith, Gallen, Thaiday, Bird, Parker, Thurston etc will all be retired, and many of the younger players like Boyd etc are nothing special and will be challenged by other players for their spots.
A couple of injuries and we could see a completely different Australian side in 4 years.

That Australian performance today was simply exceptional. It was one of the best all round rugby league performances I've ever witnessed when you take account of the quality of opponent.

The execution in attack, the discipline in defence and the performance of the pack was something very very special.

We witnessed world champions in every sense of the word today.

Take a bow