By Steve Kaless
November 5th 2008 @ 2:35am
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Bury the Ashes of England’s World Cup performance
We can only hope the English rugby league team backed every winner on Melbourne Cup Day to help them begin the healing process after their humiliation at the hands of the Kangaroos in Melbourne.
It was hardly a shock that the Kangaroos would be so dominant. But the important thing for England is they actually learn something from their dismantling and look to implement some strategies to build their game.
More Aussies in the English Super League? Less Aussies in the Super League?
Who knows.
Some argue that by having better players playing the game, the standard should improve. The competition has certainly improved, but it is hard to judge the English team. They were flogged before and flogged again now.
What is disappointing is that still haven’t found someone to replace Keith Senior.
Is stopping the flow of players the answer? Maybe. The NRL would like it, but it would be hard to see the self-interest of the English clubs keen to take it on board.
It is one of those debates in which people take up a certain argument after already deciding which way they want to see the talent flowing.
However, more English talent in the NRL would certainly help things for the Lions.
Adrian Morley was a big success, and he certainly developed his game whilst at the Roosters. The Wests Tigers will be hoping Gareth Ellis has the same sort of impact.
There have been rumblings that other players, like Martin Gleeson and Danny Brough, may be keen to join them, and it would do neither of them any harm to test themselves in the Southern Hemisphere.
Money is obviously an issue, but at the same time, there are some things money can’t buy, like the feeling the Aussies felt in Melbourne. And the conversion rate from pounds to dollars would probably have been little comfort in the defeated dressing room.
On a positive note, fans leaving the foot of the mountains on Friday must have been saying “more please” after a cracking ‘Battle of the Bouncers’ between Tonga and Samoa.
The Fijians also turned on the charm in Wollongong, and I really hope those matches aren’t forgotten at the end of the tournament. In fact, the opposite should be the case: a greater frequency of matches should be the first priority.
As I said last week, concerning Papua New Guinea, this competition only gets value if more is made of these players.
First, they should be allowed to play for their respective countries while also being eligible for State of Origin, if that is an issue. And secondly, regular matches are the only way forward.
The way things stand, England would hardly be relishing the prospect of a semi-final against any of the three island nations.
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Ian Noble said | November 5th 2008 @ 4:51am | Report comment
Steve
England’s performance was very disappointing and I am sorry to say it does undermine the creditability of the RLWC. Perhaps the cup should be given to the Kangaroos now and we all pack our bags and go home. As I feared from the outset the pools had been rigged to ensure a smooth passage for the percieved top teams to the exclusion of teams such as Samoa, Tonga.and Fiji. They would give good games to both Eng and NZ and might even win.
As proven in the RWC2007 these smaller nations do rise to the challenge on the big stage. Even if there some mismatches that is all part of any tournament and the only way these teams will improve
As for England, in many ways similar to Union the club game is stronger than the International game, and of course populated by a considerable number of overseas players. The RL International games are so infrequent with limited opposition, when did England last play Samoa, Fiji, Tonga or PNG, that it’s emphasis is weakened. Perhaps the SL should follow the lead of the RFU where they are bringing in financial incentives for the clubs to play more English players.
oikee said | November 5th 2008 @ 9:53am | Report comment
Looks bleak but she aint over yet, just talking about what they need to do and what you have mentioned is right. We need to see these Pacific teams play more tests against the top 3 . As for the aussies playing in england they have already addressed this issue. The amount of players for each team is being reduced, so the quality of players to super league will be higher so only the thurstons and folous will end up over there as they will pay alot more for having less players, will keep there standard high while also creating a higher standard.
All England has to do is have more tests for these other nations such as Wales Ireland and Scotland. This will lift all there standards, treat it like origin matches if you have too. Get some angry passion going over there to bring the intensity up to scratch. The pacific teams could maybe also tour Russia and the states to help these countries get more involved, its all about the dollar and how much you can make to help improve these teams. If league had millions it would grow faster.
oikee said | November 5th 2008 @ 11:53am | Report comment
Someone mentioned a origin match between the english super league players and the aussie and kiwi players in their comp, now thats a good idea.
JimC said | November 5th 2008 @ 5:20pm | Report comment
The pool of players that England picks from is much smaller than Australia and that is the main problem. Our obvious dearth of outside backs is testament to that.
However one thing that the England fans expect is individual players, and the team as a whole, play somewhere near their potential. That wasn’t the case on Sunday night. Senior pros, like Kevin Sinfield, the Leeds captain went missing in action.
In particular whenever England pressed the Australian line, they seemed disorganised. The obvious example was early in the second half when passes went astray and there seemed no structure to the attack. You would rarely see that in a Super League fixture.
In contrast whenever the Kangaroos were attacking, you could see players working off the ball to get into position for the next play. Slater was especially busy in this regard. As always, it isn’t just luck, it’s hard work and practice.
I hope England can regain some pride. This game against NZ is not a dead rubber. If they don’t improve on Saturday, they never will. It’s that simple.