It’ll be England by six against struggling Kangaroos
Roar Pro By Alec Swann, 30 Oct 2009 Alec Swann is a Roar Pro
- Tagged:
- england rugby league, Four Nations, Kangaroos, Rugby League
English player John Bryce is tackled by Australia Glenn Stewart (left) and Steve Price the during Australia versus England Rugby League World Cup pool match at Docklands Stadium in Melbourne, Sunday, Nov 2, 2008. Australia won 52 - 4. AAP Image/Julian Smith
A couple of months ago, in the aftermath of Australia’s crushing defeat of England at Headingley, I put my national allegiances to one side and predicted that the only side worth backing at the Oval was Australia.
This was based around the evidence of England’s capitulation and the old saying that you’re only as good as your last game.
With the Ashes taking a back seat over here until the inevitable Christmas TV specials, Anglo-Aussie attentions will have turned to this weekend’s Four Nations clash in Wigan.
Sticking loosely to the last game adage, and paying no attention to Australia’s recent difficulties against New Zealand, there should be only one winner at the DW Stadium.
The World Cup clash in Melbourne last year didn’t make for particularly good watching from an England perspective and highlighted the gulf in class between the two sides.
This time around, however, there is reason to believe that things might be different.
The thrashing in Melbourne, as with any time England or Great Britain to use their old identity, served as a slight on the British game. Whether it’s fair or not, the respective merits of the Super League and NRL are put in the shop window when the two nations go head to head.
This isn’t particularly difficult to understand.
The relative strength of English cricket seemed to be judged on my success or otherwise when I played grade cricket in Newcastle and I bet any Brit plying his trade in the NRL gets the same treatment.
Another factor is the change in personnel overseen by Tony Smith.
It was all too apparent in the World Cup that a few of the English stalwarts Paul Wellens, Keith Senior et al hads come to the end of their international careers. They are no more and in their place are relative unknows such as Sam Timkins and Richie Myler.
Experience counts for something, but not for everything. Smith had to introduce some fresh blood or run the risk of being heavily criticised for failing to react.
Then there is home advantage. It doesn’t count for as much as some would have you believe, but there is little doubt that England are a far superior force on their own soil.
The main worry I would have as an English supporter would be the lack of cohesion shown against the French last week.
England took a long time to get going and will need to come out of the blocks a lot quicker on Saturday.
But while there will be plenty of expectation on Smith and England, the Australians will have pressures of their own.
A surprise World Cup final defeat and a last gasp draw against the Kiwis at Twickenham Stoop has given Saturday’s encounter a cup final feel that should add to the spectacle. Add in a few new faces for the Kangaroos you could be looking at a tight one to call.
I’m hoping my crystal ball – not that I’m complaining – is in better form this time.
England to win by six.
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October 30th 2009 @ 5:47am
Knives Out said | October 30th 2009 @ 5:47am | Report comment
My goodness. You’ve gone mad, sir. If the Australian pack can match the England pack and not get bullied then they should romp home, and I say that as an England fan.
October 30th 2009 @ 6:07am
PJ said | October 30th 2009 @ 6:07am | Report comment
BRING IT ON!! i will be there at the ground in my green and gold, i am hoping it is a game as good as i think it might be.
October 30th 2009 @ 6:25am
katzilla said | October 30th 2009 @ 6:25am | Report comment
You sir have lost your mind, but good luck to you. I’d love to see the Poms get up in this one.
October 30th 2009 @ 7:32am
Brett McKay said | October 30th 2009 @ 7:32am | Report comment
Alec, I notice you’ve not put your bricks and mortar up again this time though….
October 30th 2009 @ 7:37am
sledgeross said | October 30th 2009 @ 7:37am | Report comment
Would you like to have a bet? Ill give you the 6 head start and all.
October 30th 2009 @ 7:56am
Republican said | October 30th 2009 @ 7:56am | Report comment
I agree.
I don’t reckon the Roos have the right personnel or the fire in the belly for this particular campaign.
It will be a NZ v England final, with the Kiwis romping home.
October 30th 2009 @ 8:38am
Terry Kidd said | October 30th 2009 @ 8:38am | Report comment
Your opinion is based on what Alec? Hope alone?
October 30th 2009 @ 9:01am
Ziontrain said | October 30th 2009 @ 9:01am | Report comment
The aussies will do it easy, you are dreaming
October 30th 2009 @ 9:03am
Mr cheese said | October 30th 2009 @ 9:03am | Report comment
One or two articles on the BBC ( such as that by George Riley ) quote the Aussies saying that the English team are under pressure from the press and from the fans.
Don’t they realise that there isn’t much press and there aren’t many fans ????
Whatever happens, it won’t get much press.
I read The Observer on a Sunday. This coming Sunday, the front page will presumably be football. If something tasty happens between Arsenal and Spurs, that will certainly dominate. If Chelsea lose at Bolton, RL will have to be content with a few paragraphs somewhere near the back.
Still…………….England will win by at least 35.
October 30th 2009 @ 9:23am
Mick from Giralang said | October 30th 2009 @ 9:23am | Report comment
Have I got this straight Mr Cheese…you’re a Pom who posts relentlessly on a rugby league forum that there is no interest among Poms for rugby league?
October 30th 2009 @ 9:49am
Mr cheese said | October 30th 2009 @ 9:49am | Report comment
I am English: correct.
I don’t post ‘relentlessly’, so that’s wrong.
However, I would simply liken it to cycling. I DO like RL. That is very unusual for someone from Liverpool, where I come from. However, like cycling, RL does not have a lot of support. So……..there are a few of us who like both cycling and RL.
How many people in England could name just one current RL player ????
Not many.
October 30th 2009 @ 10:07am
MyGeneration said | October 30th 2009 @ 10:07am | Report comment
Have to agree with Mick, Mr cheese, why you bother is a mystery. Surely you could find an organ other than the Observer to get some decent RL reporting, if you really are looking. Just on a whim I checked out the Times Online. They seem to be giving it a bit of coverage. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/rugby_league/ Pales against EPL coverage, of course, but what would you expect?
October 30th 2009 @ 11:07am
Mr cheese said | October 30th 2009 @ 11:07am | Report comment
My point, Generation, is that the sport of RL in England is in a terrible state. Until a few years ago, I didn’t realise how popular it was down in Aussie. I knew of Aussie Rules, but I thought that the second sport would be RU, as in England. It came as a big shock when I heard that RL was more popular than RU.
So…………I am not anti-RL and I will probably watch the match on Saturday afternoon ( international RL on the BBC – very rare ).
I was just saying that it’s silly to pretend that ‘the press’ and ‘the fans’ are putting the pressure on. The press aren’t interested in Rugby League, and there aren’t many fans.
Perhaps they should stage all matches in Londres so that the expat convicts can get in on the act, as happened last week against NZ………..
October 30th 2009 @ 11:55am
MyGeneration said | October 30th 2009 @ 11:55am | Report comment
You’d think there’d be pressure on to get the press interested by putting up a good performance then. There will be a lot more interest if England actually become consistently competitive again. It’s been about thirty years since that happened by my reckoning.
Apart from England becoming competitive again, do you have any suggestions for RL getting out of its “terrible” state, Mr cheese (apart from the EPL being bought holus bolus by foreign potentates and shifted off shore, of course)? There’s a lack of constructive criticism in your posts (and, maybe they’e not relentless, but they do seem to repeat the same point over and over).
I don’t think anyone’s in denial here about RL’s place in the pecking order of English sports, but from the online coverage I see (and the passionate crowds I see at some televised English games), it’s still got some legs. I think we’ll keep watching, anyway. So what would you consider a ‘reasonable’ crowd and viewing audience for the game this weekend, BTW?
October 31st 2009 @ 12:11am
Mr cheese said | October 31st 2009 @ 12:11am | Report comment
Well,
we don’t use the term EPL, obviously, so it does take me a little time to understand what is being said when people talk about the EPL. It sounds like that drug that all the cyclists use.
Anyway, there will NOT be a lot more interest if England become competitive again. That is because most people don’t care. I’m not saying I am one of them, but RL is the least fashionable thing we have in England. Most people don’t care. BBC Radio 5 Live have just done their hour-long weekly sports preview. They mentioned football ( lots of football ) and they mentioned Andre Agassi. They said absolutely nothing about Eng v Aus in the RL.
As for a viewing audience, I suppose 500,000 is a possibility. They get around ten times that for the RU internationals in the six nations.
I don’t know how many people will be in the stadium but it won’t be very many. Meanwhile, Burnley will be playing Hull City at around the same time. That will get many more headlines.
RL is on its way out over here. Harlequins Rugby League ?????? Don’t make me laff.
October 31st 2009 @ 8:21am
Paley said | October 31st 2009 @ 8:21am | Report comment
Nonsense, of course.
The Super League rates far higher than union’s Guinness Premiership on Sky and the recent Super League Grand Final on Sky rated higher than any union HC game on Sky in the UK ever.
The general media have never given much coverage to rugby (in marked contrast to the huge coverage union receives) yet despite that rugby has been a success for over 100 years.
October 30th 2009 @ 9:11am
Chop said | October 30th 2009 @ 9:11am | Report comment
I’m taking the 17.5 points the poms are getting on the TAB at the moment, I think Australia will win but it won’t be a massacre by any stretch.
October 30th 2009 @ 9:16am
Mick from Giralang said | October 30th 2009 @ 9:16am | Report comment
Yep that’s pretty juicy…I think there’smore pressure on us than the Poms at the moment.