Quote: jonh "The turning point for me was at the start of the second half. Locky made a half break and got us in the front foot gave us a quick play the ball and Kiwi's were still getting inside. Burrow had all the time in the world from dummy half to feed a kicker or put a good kick in himself. He seemed caught in 2 minds and ended up putting a god awful kick in along the floor, straight to Locke who collected the ball in his 40 Kiwi's were in the front foot from that point on scoring in that same set and shortly after getting the penalty.
Momentum came back our way when Tomkins fielded a high kick and made a half break getting us going forward again and we retook control.
Regards Sinfield he had a good game but came up short when he was tested at crucial times. Poor kick selection on several occasions but especially at the end, the missed tackle for the try, and yes I know it was a tough one to make but it had to be made, and also the missed conversion that normally he would knock over in his slippers for Leeds. It's moments like that, that separate test players from good domestic players, and he came up short.
Moving forward I would love a change of coach, not using the full bench was a huge mistake for me, and also see Westwood, Sinfield and Burrow officially retire from Internationals.'"
thats a very Wigan-centric view of the game. Lockers also gave away several pens in the 2nd half which stopped the pressure and allowed the Kiwis to play in our half. Sam dropped the ball on 1st tackle in a key attacking position mid way through the 2nd half ....
In a game of 80 minutes there are always individual errors that can be picked on. However, in the first 60-70 minutes there is sufficient time to recover from them.
The secret to winning big games is how you handle the pressure at the end. the previously 70 minutes can count for nought - it is putting the game to bed which shows class and composure, and that is what we lacked.
From a long term perspective, there are real positives that can come out of this. We have lost yes, but we can hold our heads high in the quality of that game yesterday. We finally have a stand-off that looks at home, and the old guard will now retire/will retire before the next WC (Burrow, Sinfield, Westwood, Lockers). Graham, the Burgess boys, Hill will be there in 4 years time. Sam will have the NRL experience, Hall and Charnley will be at their peak. there is a lot of class there to be supplemented by whoever comes though in the next few seasons.
With a new coach who is able to pick the right combinations and build squads that are not biased by personal grudges/loyalties, we will be a threat again in 4 years time (so long as we get the right coach).
