Saintsfan you really are a silly boy/girl. Anything to have a go at the hated enemy, regardless of the right or wrong of it. You can sit smug tonight with your can of the old purple, knowing you are right and that you've pointed it out. So what, England lost but the man you hate most made a mistake. Sam had, by yours and Stevos standards a poor game. Well done. By the way, as part of the pre match entertainment in the next Wigan-Saints game, they are having a catch the high ball comp, all for charity. Pat Richards is going to kick a ball as high as he can, Jeff Lima, LMS, and Sean O'Loughlin will be about 2 foot from the fan who's volunteered to catch it, running at full speed. Let's see if you'll volunteer. Doubt you could even catch a cold.

We're incredibly enlightened on here, which is why so many people from other teams (such as yourself) want to post. Unfortunately with that traffic comes numbnuts
who simply want to derail threads just when a decent debate was about to break out.

Tomkins is a very good player and may become great and I will forgive any player who has a bad game now and then. His problem is that he will have more and more bad games at full back as opponents realise that if you put him under pressure by making him field high kicks, grubbers and making tackles, he simply cannot be as effective in attack from full back (see CC Semi Final where he spent time turning round to collect kicks, knocking them dead for half a dozen drop outs, St Helens using three or four players to tackle him). He is being given an almost impossible task as all expect him to be brilliant defensively and then score eighty metre tries.

Play him at six, for both club and country, which will mean even if he does miss the odd tackle, there should be a full back behind him. More importantly, he won't be getting gang tackled and therefore knackered when in international games where the opposition is often of better standard than the lower super league clubs against whom his defensive requirements have been less frequently tested. For country at least, it'll mean Widdop will get more game time (which he deserves) and no Sinfield (or Chase for that matter)....at all....anywhere.....

i imagine that is the idea if he stays in this sport for as long as hoped, but just look at lockyer. he didnt move to the halves until he was 27 and established as a state of origin and international fullback.

Just like our own board where you have been a regular for time, where there is massive traffic, where the gloating and laughing from many was at a peak last season. But as I've said before he who laughs last laughs longest.

Back on topic and back on point. People bagging individuals for the defeat is BS. As I said before it's foolish. Tomkin fluffed a few bombs in the series sinfield through a few crap passes and kicks(saying that i recon he touched the ball more than any English player). Basically we had our best team out there from who was fit. You can argue the toss others should have played. The reasons we lost in my opinion is that the Aussies broke us open at will and only a bit of luck in England's favour stopped it been a blow out before half time.

Wow - Was getting eye strain reading through that lot

Bottom line - If you want an ENGLAND team to win TOURNAMENTS
Then get a decent NATIONAL coach,Not some half baked banana who believes the media hype
By 2013 You'd better have a team based around all the young blokes currently on the rise,(by then they SHOULD be battle hardened) & allow them to gell as a unit.
The core of the Roos was the core of the maroons.They don't need to worry about 2nd guessing each other because they're a unit.

I am not sure any coach (even Bennett) would be able to transform England into a winning team. I think the issue is not entirely with individual players (even though some did have poor games). The big difference for me is that ALL the Australians play with their heads up - they are aware of what is going on in the game and what is needed - plus they have superb leaders at 6,7 and 9. So they can spot weaknesses or opportunities and take advantage and do not panic if things do not work out - they just keep going.

England on the other hand have too many players who play heads down drive it in and do not read the game so just go through the same things time after time (at times I though we were back to having Noble as coach 5 drives and a poor kick). When we do try and break out of that it is panic stations with stupid off-loads or players running down a blind alley time after time. We do not play to a well defined and drilled structure.

Until we can produce players across the pitch who play smarter we will never beat the Aussies when it matters because we will always be at a disadvantage. I honestly cannot think of any English players who have the game sense of the likes of Thurston, Lockyer and Smith (and that is not taking into account their playing skills as well).

Using the "other people have been idiots on our board" as an excuse isn't something that shows people in a good light.

First of all you used the word idiot not me.

second it was you bragging about site traffic. Leeds traffic over the years blows wigans out of the water. One and a half seasons of doing well in SL has brought you into the light but don't get carried away mate.

Third the only place I know you from is trolling on the Leeds board. Obviously being a local yourself it's good banter which I've said to you before it's what its all about on these boards.

fourth after the McGuire thread on review I've no need to worry about been seen in a good light.

But to get this thread back on topic which is the part of my post you ignored. I thought with you been a mod you migh have engaged in RL talk?

Blaming individuals for a team loss is daft. Tomkin and sini are 2 of a few players who are SL's best by a mile.

I do engage in RL talk, perhaps if you'd looked you wouldn't have posted the rubbish above.

Just because you've been pulled up for childishly trying to derail a thread don't continue it by trying to make excuses for your childish behaviour. If you've got a problem with the moderation process PM the admin rather than making excuses on this thread.

Consider this your last warning. Thank you.

The reason we are so crap against the Aussies is they are used to playing high intensity games every week whereas half the teams in super league are e and its a stroll for the bigger clubs. This means our England players arent put under constant pressure every game and a lot of times get away with making poor decisions due to the poor quality of the opposition.

Until super league becomes more competitive on a high quality level, not just restricting the big clubs spending to drag them down to the crap teams level we will never get near Australia on a consistent basis.

I would start by cutting down super league to ensure more high quality games more often rather 40-50 nil drubbings.

get your head out of your mate.Its a team effort and u cant single out one player because he spilled 3 kicks!

We were too reliant on Sinfield's kicking game and it wasn't up to scratch. It was so predictable when he was going to kick on the 4th tackle and his poor kicks just gifted them field position. Then when we did throw the ball around, some individuals would spend too much time on the ball (mainly Chase).

I think a different coach would bring more structure to the team, but I think the players just weren't up to it. Soon as Lomax is fit he will be in the England team ahead of Sinfield and I'd have either Sam or Widdop in the halves with Lomax with the other at FB. Chase should of came on from the bench, or should not be included at all.

Saying that though, it's the first tournament most of these players have played together and we played some very good rugby at times. This team will only get better, its just unfortunate that Australia are too good.

Lomax isnt fit to lace sinfields boots let alone take his shirt.

You're a week late with that analogy.

Sinfield's a great player, but is far too inconsistent for England.