Kiwis v Tonga - June 25th

[ATLANTISMAN]

Looking at all these teams wohhh at least 4 that can beat England:(

[Damien]

36 minutes ago, ATLANTISMAN said:

Looking at all these teams wohhh at least 4 that can beat England:(

And can beat each other. That's pretty great for the game compared to years gone by.

[DavidM]

1 hour ago, ATLANTISMAN said:

Looking at all these teams wohhh at least 4 that can beat England:(

But 17 on 17 on home soil in home conditions late in the year England can beat those teams I still reckon . We do need luck with injuries as our player pool isn’t as deep . Overall this WC will be the best and most competitive ever 

[StandOffHalf]

England at home can have every confidence and belief in beating those two teams.

Tonga look ordinary enough in the halves. Tesi Nui might have been a better option at FB (I don't know the guy they've gone for) and they'll obviously have Lolohea for later in the year, as long as he stays healthy. NZ are missing a top-class #1. Te Mhaire Martin might be the best bet, as he's going well in a confident Broncos team. Both squads do look really good though.

I'm glad that it does appear to have been picked up by Sky. I hope the other two from Campbelltown are as well.

[Bedfordshire Bronco]

4 hours ago, DavidM said:

Same . Ridiculous that they’d kick off a test match at 6.15 in the morning 

If nothing else it must hit the bar takings 

Edited June 15, 2022 by Bedfordshire Bronco

[Pulga]

1 hour ago, StandOffHalf said:

 NZ are missing a top-class #1. Te Mhaire Martin might be the best bet, as he's going well in a confident Broncos team. 

 

Joey Manu not top-class enough? Haha

[StandOffHalf]

58 minutes ago, Pulga said:

 

Joey Manu not top-class enough? Haha

If he plays there. Surely he'll be in the centres though?

[Big Picture]

21 hours ago, Davo5 said:

Thankfully Test matches aren’t played on paper and in reality we have little idea on who is “ahead” of who,there’s been virtually no international RL for 3 years.

What do you think might have changed other than the teams from the TPLICs (Tin Pot Little Island Countries, a borrowing from Yes, Minister) being stronger than before and England either about the same or weaker?

[Dave T]

2 hours ago, Big Picture said:

What do you think might have changed other than the teams from the TPLICs (Tin Pot Little Island Countries, a borrowing from Yes, Minister) being stronger than before and England either about the same or weaker?

Team performance is not linear. And having a good squad is not a guarantee of strong performance. So we don't know how strong these teams (or indeed England) will be. 

But we do know that Tonga were very strong in the 2017 World Cup and since then have gone on to beat both GB and Australia, and their squad remains strong, so it suggests they could be very good and dangerous. If all goes to seeding, we would see Eng v Tonga at the semi finals. 

In terms of Samoa, they do often fail to really perform, and we have little evidence of them being able to win the big games. 

This World Cup really is the most open and exciting in my lifetime. I genuinely believe any of 4 teams could win-

Aussies - best team in the world and hot favourites

NZ - history of winning big games and if it clicks could easily win it. Also have a lot of history of blowing tournaments in UK. 

Tonga - star of the 2017 and 2019 International scene. Have shown they're not afraid of the big teams and have beaten all of the top 3.

England - worries about the aging squad and lack of regular games, but we have home advantage and hopefully a good following and a build up of form over the tournament could see us do well. We lost the last WC final in Brisbane 6 nil, we aren't mugs. 

I think Samoa are behind these 4, but that opening game is looking more and more tricky for England as we get closer to it. 

I really cannot wait for this tournament. 

[jim_57]

18 minutes ago, Dave T said:

Team performance is not linear. And having a good squad is not a guarantee of strong performance. So we don't know how strong these teams (or indeed England) will be. 

But we do know that Tonga were very strong in the 2017 World Cup and since then have gone on to beat both GB and Australia, and their squad remains strong, so it suggests they could be very good and dangerous. If all goes to seeding, we would see Eng v Tonga at the semi finals. 

In terms of Samoa, they do often fail to really perform, and we have little evidence of them being able to win the big games. 

This World Cup really is the most open and exciting in my lifetime. I genuinely believe any of 4 teams could win-

Aussies - best team in the world and hot favourites

NZ - history of winning big games and if it clicks could easily win it. Also have a lot of history of blowing tournaments in UK. 

Tonga - star of the 2017 and 2019 International scene. Have shown they're not afraid of the big teams and have beaten all of the top 3.

England - worries about the aging squad and lack of regular games, but we have home advantage and hopefully a good following and a build up of form over the tournament could see us do well. We lost the last WC final in Brisbane 6 nil, we aren't mugs. 

I think Samoa are behind these 4, but that opening game is looking more and more tricky for England as we get closer to it. 

I really cannot wait for this tournament. 

Plus Fiji who could put out a great side as well, maybe not win it but definitely a chance of a semi again.

1. Turuva/Naiqama 2. Ravalawa 3. Milne 4. Blake 5. Sivo 6. Lovodua 7. Wakeham 8. D Saifiti 9. Koroisau 10. Campbell-Gillard 11. T Sims 12. Kikau 13. Kamikamica 14. Evans 15. J Saifiti 16. Vuniyayawa 17. Tagituamua

Some decent depth too below that with another 20+ players at NRL, QLD Cup, NSW Cup, Super League and Championship clubs.