That’s a deviation from the point. We lost, again at the death. After Radley’s mistake, we came back to level. Our lack of composure when it mattered, again in a big match, cost us a final spot. Two utterly stupid errors. You could say it saved embarrassment of losing to Australia again but I will be there at OT.
There will probably be quite a few international retirements announced. Hill, Cooper, Hall, Tomkins, Watkins have probably left the saloon. Hopefully, McIlorum too.

This was your point:


And then say we should replace the NRL guy with a 33 year old who's played twice for England (once against a much weaker Samoa 8 years ago and once against combined nations, and played in 2 losing finals so hardly steeped in intense rugby.

England should have won the game, they are the better team but they allowed themselves to be mugged by a Samoan performance built on Englands own complacency.

All week they’ll have been talking the talk, steeling each other against any thought that Samoa would be as bad as they were in game one, making sure that there was no chance they’d take Samoa lightly, it didn’t work!

1% of subconscious complacency is all it takes and you’ll find yourself caught in a battle that not going your way, struggling in a game where an attitudinal switch is needed and you can’t find a way to make it happen.

England were the better team, England should have won the game but they were out enthused by a team motivated by a place in their Nations history and the burning desire to right a wrong from their opening game humiliation but they still needed England to be off their game and England conceded that to them as well.

The were the best team for 20 mins ,Got out played for the other 60 minutes, even the England Coach said they were 2nd best out played and out though and the best team won

I’m not talking about how they performed for 82 minutes, I’m talking about them being the better team in general and why I think they got turned over.

I'm still gutted about it.

Can`t explain why but it didn`t really effect me at all. I don`t think I've ever felt as disconnected to RL outside of Wakefield Trinity as I have at present, it`s almost as if I was watching that game as a neutral.

Felt like that for some time now tbh, if it weren't for watching us I'd wouldn't bother at all.

To be honest I've got little faith in most England teams of any sport, we have a good way of crashing and burning even as favorites

Apart from the Cricket T20 World Cup Winners..............


Obviously.

Cricket isn't really a sport though is it.

That would explain why we won it.....