Well done to the Wigan contingent. No doubt England best players were O'Loughlin and Sarginson today. Boy I'd love to see Dan over at Leeds linking up with Hall week in week out! I feel proud we're now only a few points off the best two rugby league sides in the world. We need more games of that intensity every year and we'll soon be winning tournaments. Still a chance we can, COME ON SAMOA, WIN BY 2.

Whitehead was pretty anonymous I agree.

I was looking forward to seeing whitehead.

I think Joel is showing signs he will be a real handful next year with that big hand off he has and his athleticism. The four nations will do him and Wigan good as he's getting good game time in such a intense tournament

He's got a lot of improving to do to get to the level he was at before he left. He looks slow and clumsy to me. Offered very little going forward and has missed simple tackles. He just doesn't look ready for this level just yet.

A good pre-season and there's no reason he can't get back to that standard he was at.

I don't think Joel was bad, he was steady and worked hard. I'm more concerned at the lack of impact by Sam. After a season in the Nrl I was expecting him to take more of a lead, for our supposed superstar he was very quiet.

Sam has gone backwards IMO since he went the NRL.

I wonder if we'll get the same criticism of Clark and Ferres today for their penalties?

And again, three games, and the only pass that Charnley got from Watkins was when Watkins was in touch.

On the game, NZ shield their catchers much better than we do. Hall should perhaps have scored but that was a brilliant tackle by Tommy Leuluai, one he really had no right to make. Fine margins but we just don't seem to have the composure to win close games.

However it's a young side that should get better and it's far better than the England Tony Smith coached Leeds / Saints fiasco of 2008.

Graham was the player of the tournament for me,worlds best front row by a distance i would say.

O'Loughlin and Sarginson were excellent today. Joel again did nothing to warrant his selection. Sam was disappointing for me, where has his flair gone?Smith is not an international scrum half. He payed better last week but today his organisation and kicking were poor. I was disappointed with Whitehead after bulling him up. Clark and Ferres did give too many penalties away.

Glad it wasn't just my Wigan bias seeing that today. I thought Joel had his best game back in league by quite a distance and gave a glimpse of what's to come (hopefully).

I thought the supposed weak link of the second row was pretty good today although I do feel Ferres has been short of his best and doesn't suit that bench role.

Daryl Clark worries me......at club level! Wire have got a star of a player there but if I was him I'd be looking to get to the NRL in the next couple of years. His game has a couple of rough edges that need smoothing but if they are then wow, what a player.

To be fair to Whitehead it's been a long time between games. It's always the problem, you have a squad but you can't give them all match practice. Hence, they have an amount of rust to shake off but no time to do it. Add to that he's making his debut in a must win game and it all adds up to pressure.
Disappointment of the result aside, my biggest frustration is that we have a group of players to get excited about but despite the excellence of this comp so far there is no recognition of international RL.

Your pack next year is starting to worry me tbh. The Backrow of tomkins, Farrell and lockers is prob best Backrow in super league. Add to that the new guy from wakey, Bateman and larne Patrick (will he be prop or secondrow?).

The good thing about our pack is that it's got improvement in it. I think guys like Tomkins and Bateman can kick on a level as can lads like Crosby, Clubb and Pettybourne. The signings of Tautai and Patrick are shrewd as well and both will add a line breaking ability. Mossop to come back in too and Flower to come back mid season will add to the side.

Out of them all Bateman is the lad I have high hopes for both for us and England.

Agreed. He's just outstanding and I don't think the will ever be a prop of his kind ever again. He can ball play, he does the hard yards, he tackles, he's aggressive and does long mins.

He's easily amongst the best 5 players in the world for me.

TBF Adam Blair threw an awesome no look pass in the second half, I was pretty impressed with that.