Jump to content

2 Dec: RLWC2017 (Final): Australia v England - Match Thread

John Drake

By John Drake
in The General Rugby League Forum

Who will win?  

117 members have voted

  1. 1. Who will win?

    • Australia by 13 points or more
      46
    • Australia by 7 to 12 points
      17
    • Australia by 1 to 6 points
      7
    • England by 1 to 6 points
      29
    • England by 7 to 12 points
      12
    • England by 13 points or more
      6

This poll is closed to new votes


Recommended Posts

SilentAssassin

SilentAssassin

Posted
Posted

Well, i think we could have got this far in this competition if we had have had McNamara or Wane or whoever in charge but this is the game the RFL brought suber uber doober coach Wayne Bennett into the set up.

So lets see that magic wayne.i have not been overwhelmed by your tenure so far but you could write your name in english RL legend in just 80 minutes on saturday, heres hoping.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 1.2k
  • Created
  • Last Reply
Dunbar

Dunbar

Posted
Posted

By far the most impressive part of England's game in this World Cup has been their defence.  They have looked organised and calm on shift plays where the defenders are picking the right man and judging their defensive execution very well.  They have also scrambled exceptionally well with 5 or 6 white shirts in the frame chasing down any breaks.

This was the case even in game 1 where we did pretty well defensively despite not enjoying much possession or field position.

England will have a try or two in them if they execute well but the defence is the key.  If we can keep the Kangaroos to three tries or fewer we have a chance but that is a huge ask.  I would have been a bit more confident if we had closed out the Tongan game better but you can go for decades without seeing 7 minutes of rugby like that again and so I am not letting that cloud what has been a very strong tournament defensively.

We cannot afford to go behind early as the Kangaroos are marvellous front runners, we need to be either ahead or very close at half time and probably leading with 20 to go in order to win.  Australia are odds on favourites and rightly so but if England play the game of their lives they do have the firepower to win this.

Lastly, I don't want to wish injury on any player but our game is attritional, image what would happen if Cronk and Smith picked up knocks early on and the Kangaroos had to play out 60 minutes without their generals - the point about Rugby League is that it is far far less predictable than most people give it credit for.

Anyway,  will enjoy the nerves building up this week that is for sure.

Come on England!

"The history of the world is the history of the triumph of the heartless over the mindless." — Sir Humphrey Appleby.

"If someone doesn't value evidence, what evidence are you going to provide to prove that they should value it? If someone doesn't value logic, what logical argument could you provide to show the importance of logic?" — Sam Harris

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Number 16

Number 16

Posted
Posted

If England needed any additional motivation, that final seven minutes provided it.

If England needed any further warning that it's an eighty minute game, that final seven minutes provided it.

If England needed any further warning to cut out the errors, that final seven minutes provided it.

The way the semi-final ended should be of huge benefit to England and I think that against the Kangaroos they'll stand taller and stronger for the experience.

:aggressive:

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Rhino in Oz

Rhino in Oz

Posted
Posted

Been in Oz for 5 years and how tough it must be been Mal Meninga!

Come on England , Australia have better players better depth home ground/fans , hot humid Aussie conditions , 2 future immortals but sport can sometimes give you miracles .

I will be there Saturday singing along with the 1000+ English fans singing louder than all the boring Aussies .

And yes the loose carry was 100% the right call , called the same in every game for 5 years out here 

Link to comment
Share on other sites
wombat

wombat

Posted
Posted

Definitely will be hot and humid. Expect mid 20's and humidity close to 100%.

Not expecting an upset, and knowing that Cronk, Slater, Smith will be playing their final WC match and probably last for Australia, they will all be aiming to go out on a high, so they won't be leaving anything in the dressing sheds. 

And not forgetting that Wayne Bennett is a Queenslander. 

     

Link to comment
Share on other sites
wombat

wombat

Posted
Posted
9 minutes ago, Abicus said:

If Chris Heighington scores the match winning try, how will that go down?

Not too well with the bookies. In his last 5 seasons he's managed only 2 tries in the NRL. 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites
RabbitRhinoovOZ

RabbitRhinoovOZ

Posted
Posted

No chance England can win on talent alone but I believe there a big chance if they go out with a mind set to brutalise the Aussie pack from start to finish, I'd love to see a guy like John Bateman sent out on a mission to go after Cam Smith and just bash him every time he looks like getting the ball for the full 80 minutes .

Australia by 8 because England will not do the above.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Allora

Allora

Posted
Posted
21 minutes ago, Charlie RL said:

I will be surprised but happy.

the poll with this thread doesn't bode well for England.

44 to 29 in favour of an Australian win, its close,  could be worse.

Talent is secondary to whether players are confident.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Go to topic listing

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.