Fri 25 Jun: Intl: England v Combined Nations All Stars KO 20:15 (TV)

[Wellsy4HullFC]

I don't think this game was useless at all though personally. It showed us a number of players who were and weren't up to task, which was the point really. 

Gave some a chance they wouldn't normally get to impress (on both sides I guess).

I'd probably rather have seen Yorks v Lancs personally, but not really the topic of debate!

[Rupert Prince]

16 minutes ago, Scubby said:

This game was better behind a paywall. In what way did it promote the WC? Half-baked, small stadium, no fans, England lose to a last minute thrown together 17.

Tiresome comment.

British Rugby League is amateurish.  But we needed a game.  The fact that between them SL and RFL between them could not run a bath is not the point.  The England team needed a game and we needed to see how various players could play.  Despite setbacks with a couple of injuries which stopped them in their tracks we did see some players step forward. 

Without matches we will never know until such games happen.

[Odsal Outlaw]

Well England were average, maybe even poor and the standard wasn’t great. But as a concept it actually grew on me, I can see some value in that being an annual game. 
 

Id be surprised if more than a handful of those players make the starting 13 come October - especially after tonight. 

[Scubby]

19 minutes ago, Rupert Prince said:

Tiresome comment.

British Rugby League is amateurish.  But we needed a game.  The fact that between them SL and RFL between them could not run a bath is not the point.  The England team needed a game and we needed to see how various players could play.  Despite setbacks with a couple of injuries which stopped them in their tracks we did see some players step forward. 

Without matches we will never know until such games happen.

It should have been possibles versus probables and then at least it would act as a genuine trial and the crowd doesn't matter. This game didn't even give the players a test cap.

[Davo5]

2 minutes ago, Scubby said:

It should have been possibles versus probables and then at least it would act as a genuine trial and the crowd doesn't matter. This game didn't even give the players a test cap.

Did the attendance and the lack of caps being awarded matter,it was a competitive run out that probably indicated that several members of this depleted squad are not up to scratch.

[Man of Kent]

Something’s gone wrong when (1) a scratch side plays with more fluency than an actual team. (2) Jake Connor is behind Ben Currie at left centre (even though the former was very good in a winning series against the Kiwis) and (3) the best England-qualified half on display is playing for the opposition and Stefan Flippin’ Ratchford is the best we can do at stand-off.

[Niels]

1 hour ago, Scubby said:

You and I have a vested interest as we know them as players. My family don't follow RL and just laugh at how Yorkshire news it sounds.

Terry Connor is from Widnes which is in Cheshire.

Usually a sport does have commentators based in the main areas of play. Gaelic football has Irish presenters, Welsh rugby union games usually have Welsh Commentators. 

 

[Bearman]

I thought that tonight showed that we are one of the 6th or 7th best teams international teams in the world. 

We just need a bit of luck in the draw and we could make into the semis into the whole competition.

We just need to avoid Austraia, New Zealand, Tonga, PNG and Samoa in the run up.

Call me an optimist but I reckon we can beat France.

[Bedfordshire Bronco]

Just got back to civilisation... Much easier journey back than going. Ladies match was interesting but can't say I saw much to cheer for in Wales performance 

Good test for England I thought, Farrell great first half. We looked a bit physically slighter compared to them I thought. It showed in a lot of the contacts for me

Interrestingly think I was sat near to Oledskis mum and dad - well ive guessed that as they sounded Polisj and the bloke looked a bit like him 

[Bedfordshire Bronco]

2 minutes ago, Bedfordshire Bronco said:

Just got back to civilisation... Much easier journey back than going. Ladies match was interesting but can't say I saw much to cheer for in Wales performance 

Good test for England I thought, Farrell great first half. We looked small compared to them I thought. 

Interrestingly think I was sat near to Oledskis mum and dad - well ive guessed that as they sounded Polisj and the bloke looked a bit like him 

Just googled it, yes it was them (from that SL stories video with him in) 

[Dunbar]

7 hours ago, Man of Kent said:

Something’s gone wrong when (1) a scratch side plays with more fluency than an actual team. (2) Jake Connor is behind Ben Currie at left centre (even though the former was very good in a winning series against the Kiwis) and (3) the best England-qualified half on display is playing for the opposition and Stefan Flippin’ Ratchford is the best we can do at stand-off.

1. They were both scratch sides effectively. It's hardly as if that Emgland 13 has ever played together before, they are not a 'team'. In fact this game was a chance to try and make them one.  As best we can given the injuries, lack of availability and no access to the NRL based players.

2. Conner was not behind Currie when the squad was put together. He was behind a number of centres who, for various reasons, were not available or were not selected for last night's game.  Debating whether Conner should be in the England squad is valid. Arguing that Wane has picked Currie ahead of him as a centre is not.

More worrying for me is why Wane stood Herbie Farnworth down from the squad who is a quality young centre. And will he have a chance to get back in. 

3. Ratchford is not the best we can do. Lomax, Williams and Widdop are all in the England squad and I think most would agree they are better options than Ratchford at 6.

[Dave T]

We'll be absolutely fine. We had s lot of players missing, and even with injuries we could have put a better side out without late cry offs and politics. That must be about our 7th choice half back combination, and for large parts of the game we had Handley at centre and Welsby on the wing, and that showed. 

Wane will have learnt loads from that, although his coaching and selections didn't inspire. Why was Clark on the bench until 55mins, was that mentioned in commentary? 

 

[tms]

9 hours ago, Scubby said:

You and I have a vested interest as we know them as players. My family don't follow RL and just laugh at how Yorkshire news it sounds.

How dare your family  insult god's own county by by thinking terry a Chemic and barry a Roughyed can speak Tyke

[Davo5]

7 hours ago, Bearman said:

I thought that tonight showed that we are one of the 6th or 7th best teams international teams in the world. 

We just need a bit of luck in the draw and we could make into the semis into the whole competition.

We just need to avoid Austraia, New Zealand, Tonga, PNG and Samoa in the run up.

Call me an optimist but I reckon we can beat France.

All that from watching a scratch England team playing their first game in nearly 3 yrs.

[Dave T]

11 minutes ago, Davo5 said:

All that from watching a scratch England team playing their first game in nearly 3 yrs.

I have to assume Bearman is kidding, but who knows on here

[DoubleD]

1 hour ago, Dave T said:

We'll be absolutely fine. We had s lot of players missing, and even with injuries we could have put a better side out without late cry offs and politics. That must be about our 7th choice half back combination, and for large parts of the game we had Handley at centre and Welsby on the wing, and that showed. 

Wane will have learnt loads from that, although his coaching and selections didn't inspire. Why was Clark on the bench until 55mins, was that mentioned in commentary? 

 

I wasn’t aware Welsby was playing and Handley only played about 10 minutes, where he missed a tackle and then went off with a head knock 

[Hela Wigmen]

Glad that’s over. Many lessons to be learnt from pretty much everyone on and off the field it seems. Let’s hope that’s not the end of mid-season games, though hopefully they actually involve multiple nations and are played on a blank weekend. 

[DoubleD]

Shaun Wane’s selection policy worries me when we only have 1 more warm up game. To think of the players he could’ve brought in and that’s what we end up with. 

I thought Farrell, Knowles and Lyne did well. Wasn’t impressed with many others. Cooper was ok and the wingers tried hard. 

For the All Stars, I thought Hastings was surprisingly poor in defence and whilst Connor is a great attacking talent, he isn’t the best defender and lacks pace for a full back. At the top level it shows - I would only consider him at centre for England. Whilst McGillvary had a decent game, I’m still not sure I’d have him in the side 

[Scubby]

8 hours ago, Niels said:

Terry Connor is from Widnes which is in Cheshire.

Usually a sport does have commentators based in the main areas of play. Gaelic football has Irish presenters, Welsh rugby union games usually have Welsh Commentators. 

 

I know where they are from I am just stating how they come across to non RL fans. We have always had northerners commentate - maybe it is the faux double act style of ranting that make them stand out (for the wrong reasons).

[Rupert Prince]

1 minute ago, Hela Wigmen said:

Glad that’s over. Many lessons to be learnt from pretty much everyone on and off the field it seems. Let’s hope that’s not the end of mid-season games, though hopefully they actually involve multiple nations and are played on a blank weekend. 

where do multiple nations come from mid season?

We have our own players, we can have a mid season origin. Aussie 'origin' is a movable feast, we can stretch our own rules as well.

[Scubby]

56 minutes ago, POR said:

How dare your family  insult god's own county by by thinking terry a Chemic and barry a Roughyed can speak Tyke

Honestly I am born and bread West Yorkshire and people here say stuff like are you from the north and I often get Manchester. 

[cookey]

Comment section open on the BBC Sport site. Usual mix of comments so far.

[Hela Wigmen]

4 minutes ago, Rupert Prince said:

where do multiple nations come from mid season?

We have our own players, we can have a mid season origin. Aussie 'origin' is a movable feast, we can stretch our own rules as well.

England, France, Ireland, Jamaica, Scotland, Wales. 

Let them all play instead of being arrogant and selfish and blocking others from having mid-season games like they did this year just to get turned over. That’s three games where you can name 21-24 man squads with relative ease just from the teams in the UK league system. 

[DoubleD]

24 minutes ago, Scubby said:

I know where they are from I am just stating how they come across to non RL fans. We have always had northerners commentate - maybe it is the faux double act style of ranting that make them stand out (for the wrong reasons).

The 3 of them on commentary are terrible. Even Arthur who said “the one on one ball steal will be gone from next year”. Which McDermott replied “good”. 

No it won’t, the one on one ball steal has always been part of the game and will be next year. The rule on allowing other defenders to fall off the tackle to enact it will be removed. They are totally clueless 

[JohnM]

A quick check to help me understand:

 A pointless game in the wrong place, at the wrong time between the wrong teams on the wrong channel with the wrong commentators and an unsatisfactory outcome.?