Not as good as Morley, Graham or Peacock so not a real shock. The shock is perhaps only going with three props. Although when Westwood comes on Burgess could easily move up to prop to make the fourth.

It is far from an outrage. However in the last 5 weeks of the regular season Fox scored 5 tries. The only really rubbish bit of play from him I can recall was allowing himself to be tackled in-goal by Tomkins in the Wigan play-off game. He was still rated ahead of Briscoe when the full squads were announced. Between that announcement and yesterday something has happened to make T. Smith feel he [ineeds[/i Briscoe and he should be brought in for an injured loose forward. Now, selecting an England team is about winning matches, not being fair to the individual players and it is Smith's job on the line. I've got no problem with him making a hard-nosed decision if Briscoe has been brilliant in training or Fox very disappointing. If the decision was based to any significant extent on the Wales friendly, then it strikes me as bizarre.

Still, the team has been picked now and I'm looking forward to the tournament.

I understand where your coming from because fox has been the form winger for the season.....But, Fox was aweful against wales so I wouldn't say it was bizarre, it's just a case of being replaced due to a poor performance.

I would not be surprised if Fox returned for the "Bigger" games against Australia and New Zealand.

I think Smith is just giving Myler and T.Briscoe a run out against France to help there development

I think his selection is probably based on the fact that Tom Briscoe has the potential to be a very special player. Not saying he'll get there, as many before him have had similar potential at 19 and failed to fulfil it. Realistically we're going to get beaten in 2 out of the 3 games, so he's maybe thinking along the lines of Briscoe and Hall (although his selection is automatic IMO) being the core of England back line in the future so instead of picking Fox (who's had a fuller and more prolific season but is 25 in a couple of weeks, so mid career rather than at the start) he's gone for a very forward-looking option. Time will tell. Just hope that Briscoe doesn't lose his confidence if selected against Australia, as it's a big ask at 19 to front up against that calibre of back line. Like Willa, I think it's likely Fox could be recalled at that point.

I just didn't see Fox as being that bad. I honestly didn't think 'that is the sort of performance that might have cost him his chance.', like I did for Sykes and Myler I think 'Briscoe was good' is a slightly better argument.

I hope Fox has been well man-managed if their is any prospect of a recall. You don't want a player low on confidence going up against Vatuvei or Hayne.

But he had that potential a couple of weeks ago. I just find it strange that Fox seems to have been dropped unceremoniously and Briscoe rushed in with slightly unseemly haste. I absolutely wish Briscoe the best though - this is England RL, not Rovers-Hull.

I've not seen all that much of Briscoe to be honest, Hull fans, how's his defence?

He's a big lad and going forward he appears to be able to bump people off at will, I agree that he could hopefully be very special.

Correct decision to pick him over Fox, not done enough to merit selection, against the Aussies, playing on the wing you need to be able to make a half chance a try under the sticks and on current form Fox won't do that.

His defence is pretty good. Sometimes caught out of position, but pretty good in this respect for his age. His big attributes are his size and his leg strength (freakishly strong for his age) and he has a very good attitude. Agar was saying last night that Smith had said he was in with a chance of a callup to the 24 (if there were injuries) if he played well v Wales, but apparently he was still disappointed to have missed out in the first place, not in a cocky way, but just has a nice confidence and ambition about him. As said, whether he's ready at 19 is questionable, just hope if he has a bad game or 2 at this level it doesn't knock his confidence too much.

Briscoe's selection ahead of Fox for this game does not surprise me.

It will be a more intense game than against Wales , but not have as much pressure as a game against one of the Southern hemisphere sides.

It will give Smith a good opportunity to assess him in a game that will be competitive for some period.

Sounds good.

In top level sport with nutritionists, strength conditioners, sports psychologists and the like I'm a real believer in players having to have a natural will to win and born desire. In that top 10% players have to have much much more than "being a big lad with a bit of pace".

Whether it's under 12's on Pearson Park or an ashes series players [ishould[/i have an unswerving belief in their own abilities.

As long as he can muscle up, positioning can be coached. I really hope he goes well, when was the last teenager to [itruly[/i front up to the fecking Ockers? Pains me to say it but stand up Lee Crooks!

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So thats your opinion is it?

] tom deserves his chance , if he had been fit fir the full season think he would of got the nod over fox anyway , talking to rovers fans at work and almost all of them said give him a gap and he wont be caught , but his defence is pretty poor and he drops far too many balls ,

I think fox was maybe seen as the least worst option. Briscoe missed most of last season but has maybe shown enough in the training camp to give smith the confidence in him.. either way it's a sad indictment that it seems to be a choice between a 19 year old witth only a handful of SL games under his belt and a winger who really isn't of international standard