Tomkins, Charnley, Watkins, Cudjoe, Hall, Sinfield, Chase, Burgess, Roby, Graham, Hock, Ellis, O'Loughlin. Sub's Widdop, Westwood, Morley, Mossop.

International RL isn't all about silky skills. The last time we performed well against the Aussies in the late 80s Carl Gibson, Roy Powell and Darrell Powell were amongst our best. Players who will get their hands dirty and do a specific job for the team. And Mc has the potential to be one of these, someone who you'd want at your side in the trenches. Someone who would annoy the opposition in a similar way that Barry McDermott did.

nb I would still pick Roby in the 17.

I'm not getting the Westwood inclusion. He and Chase were probably England poorest players on Friday, and he doesn't seem to have played as well this season for Wire. And Hock on this years performances should be nowhere near the team, he was atrocious last night at Leeds.

Although I'm a big fan of Gaz, I have to agree, his off field problems seem to be affecting his game.

Hock has had exactly the type of year you'd expect from him at Widnes. He looks off the pace he's capable of and his game is littered with errors. He looks a bit like he looked for us when we were a poor team. Capable of good things but generally a frustrated player who thinks he's better then those around him (and he is bar Handbury who's top class).

He can't be picked on this years form. I believe Westwood is a different matter though. His form isn't great but I believe he'll lift it when the big games come round.

Recall Danny Brough .............................[sizePLEASE[/size

What is the point of playing Sam Tomkins at all if England are going to play a conservative game as they did first half against the Exiles. There was hardly any plays in the first half where 2-3 players ran different angles which created space for Tomkins as we do for him week in week out. I only wtched the first half though.

If England are going to play the Leeds way of safe and boring rugby then might as well just play Wellens at full back. Its either play safe and try the tried and tested failure route in the WC or play this side and try something new.

1. Sam Tomkins
2. Josh Charnley
3. Cudjoe
4. Reed
5. Hall
6. Chase
7. Smith
8. Burgess
9. Roby
10 Graham
11 Ellis
12 Farrell
13 Lockers

14 Burrows
15 Westwood
16 Mossop
17 Crabtree

If England are going to play to win the World Cup then they need to play to the strengths of the best player they have and not just fit a team around the captain. Sinfield is a good player but playing his way is not the way for England its the way that Mcnamara knows unfortunately and that is England's biggest weakness.

When the World cup starts England will revert to the Leeds way of safe rugby which is great when your playing against SL teams in play offs etc. But to win the World Cup England need to get on top of Australia and take risks which will not happen with Mcnamara and Sinfield that's why i would choose Matty Smith at 7 and a massive pack.

I would have put Brough in 7 though if he was not Scottish again.

Unless we play to a well executed, structured game plan we'll have no chance in the world cup. Simply throwing the ball around like a hot potato will just see us get spanked again. England's biggest weakness has been their inability to gain good field position, this has been due to our forwards not being able to get the better of their opposition up front. Our structure and execution of basic skills like movement off the ball and technique at the ruck have been where Austrailia have been miles ahead of us.

As for the team I'd go with:

Tomkins
Charnley
Watkins
Cudjoe
Hall
Sinfield
Widdop
Graham
Roby
Hill
Ellis
Farrell
Burgess

Burrow
Crabtree
Burgess (G)
Westwood/Ablett/Hock/Ferres

the day people stop moaning about tackling and slowing the ruck down is the day we might beat the Aussies, watch all the Australia games and you will see minimum 3 defenders plowing into every person who carries the ball and i don't care how big you are your not going to gain ground so instead of moaning for a penalty every time a defender wins the ruck we need to embrace it and start winning the arm wrestles.

I really am missing things these days.
Talk here about the lack of plays, moves and structure. Eh?
The squad is being coached by McNamara who just hasn't any knowledge of those things as he proved at Bradford and latterly as England coach.
We have a coach who must be the worst England coach, ever!
Our only hope is if the RFL hire an Aussie NRL coach as the Kiwis did with Wayne Bennett then won the World Cup.
The other chance maybe is if there are a few players in our squad who once they are out on the field will take the teams tactics into their own hands and ignore everything McNamara & Lowed ever said to them.
Either od those two scenarios and we may have a chance.
Going soley with McNamara & Lowes is too awful to contemplate.
This when our game will have its highest profile for decades.

McNamara is off to Australia to see his Aussie based players, he is taking in 10 matches in 20 days.
One who he will not be seeing is George Burgess, Souths have suspended him for two matches and fined him $6000-00 dollars, for smashing a car window whilst out on the town in Cairns celebrating Souths win against Gold Coast at the weekend.

He has been charged and bailed until July when his case will be heard.

The Widnes fans I've spoken to have been quite impressed with Hock, but then there's always different opinions among fans. He wasn't good against Leeds but how many games had he missed? There's no way he's match fit.

While Farrell is the stand out back row forward in Super League he's been nowhere near as effective without Blake Green putting him through gaps. Without someone like that in the England side he'll be a workhorse in the back row like many others. He'd be the best England have of that ilk and can run and tackle all game but you've got to have a back row who can punch a few holes in a strong defence and Hock is still probably the most likely to do that.

Shouldn't McNamara be selecting someone who can put Faz through the gaps?

Hock has never done it in the big games. Leeds seem to have him sussed, he has been consistently anonymous when playing at Headingley. Hope he goes to Aus and they can sort him out.