Sat 12th Nov: RLWC SF: England v Samoa KO 14:30

[Roy Haggerty]

Just now, Bolton Leyther said:

Makinson is the exception but I don't think it's a coincidence the rest have experience of playing in the NRL.

No it's hard to duck that fact.

I thought the SL boys had been fine up until today. We even started the game full of confidence for the first 5 minutes. Then Samoa got that shocking try where Lafai made Watkins look like he had concrete legs, and it was like most of the team's brains cracked. The pressure got to them. Being behind for the first time in the tourney, and they couldn't cope. Structure, organisation, gameplan all went out the window. And as desperation and tiredness set in, so did basic skills.

[StandOffHalf]

6 minutes ago, Farmduck said:

So who were all those guys playing for NZ, Tonga, Fiji, PNG, Malta, Lebanon and Cook Islands back in June?

NRL Rep Round was how it was termed.

I think the reference was to internationals outside the ambit of the NRL.

[MatthewWoody]

At the end of the day, England did better under WB.

[Chrispmartha]

1 minute ago, Roy Haggerty said:

No it's hard to duck that fact.

I thought the SL boys had been fine up until today. We even started the game full of confidence for the first 5 minutes. Then Samoa got that shocking try where Lafai made Watkins look like he had concrete legs, and it was like most of the team's brains cracked. The pressure got to them. Being behind for the first time in the tourney, and they couldn't cope. Structure, organisation, gameplan all went out the window. And as desperation and tiredness set in, so did basic skills.

We basically had the worst prep coming into this game, everyone was getting carried away with those big wins shilst Samoa were building and had a real tough test against Tonga, as I say I think Wane and the Team (and many on here) fell in love with the England team and it wasn’t earned.

[Bradman Better]

4 minutes ago, Wolford6 said:

Tomkins 5  Young 6  Watkins 4  Farnworth 8   Makinson 7 Welsby 4 Williams 7  Burgess*  7 McIlorum  4    Hill  7 Whitehead 8  Bateman 5  Radley 6

 Knowles  4 Thompson 4  Cooper  5  McMeeken* 5

*Should have had more gametime

Flair 5 Imagination 3 Use of Wingers in Attack  3 Tactical Kicking 5 Anger 3

I wasn't expecting to watch Kearball.

You are wrong about Sam Tomkins. He was playing as a second five eighth and contributed a lot to the England attack.

However you are correct in your evaluation of Whitehead and Farnworth. They were both outstanding. And George Williams had a very important game, making several lines breaks and on two occasions set up two tries.

[Mojo]

7 minutes ago, Charlies Bott said:

A sin bin is not a send off.  One is for 10 mins the other is for the rest of the game.  I'm sure you know that but your just trying to be a _ _ _ _ _  _ _ _ _ .

Sutton had a reasonable game by his standards.  No blame can be attached to him for the loss.  Too many individual mistakes by England today.  Poor Kallum Watkins has been in excellent form for Salford all season and was one of the best on the pitch in the first game against Samoa but today he had a poor game.  Bombed one try and was at fault for both tries in the first half. 

Reasonable game? He gave alot of soft penalties in Englands favour for most of the game. The penalty for pushing Tomkins over after the kick was one of the worst decisions I've ever seen

[Wellsy4HullFC]

55 minutes ago, The Masked Poster said:

Samoa can play out of their skins, they still won't beat Australia. 1000% they won't. We both know it. 

Tonga beat Australia recently.

Samoa beat Tonga and England.

NZ have lost to Fiji recently and nearly again last week.

There's definitely a chance. I wouldn't put money on it, but I wouldn't lump my life savings on Australia either.

[Mojo]

1 minute ago, Chrispmartha said:

We basically had the worst prep coming into this game, everyone was getting carried away with those big wins shilst Samoa were building and had a real tough test against Tonga, as I say I think Wane and the Team (and many on here) fell in love with the England team and it wasn’t earned.

Worst prep? Your definitely taking the ######

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

1 hour ago, Fevrover said:

But SL was supposed to put us on a par with Australia and New Zealand,still waiting.

I agree. We’ve trashed the structure of Rugby League over here in the vain hope of beating the Aussies. We’re no nearer now than we were when SL was formed. Just as long as the same dozen teams can play each other every week and the same half a dozen teams can win things and grab all the dosh at the same time that’s alright though.

Edited November 12, 2022 by Tyrone Shoelaces

[Roy Haggerty]

Just now, MatthewWoody said:

At the end of the day, England did better under WB.

This is true. As Wilkin and the studio boys keep telling us, professional sport is a ruthless game of inches. This whole competition was structured to get England to the final without having to play Australia or New Zealand. That was Wane's job. But ultimately he picked and coached a team which crumbled badly in the first match where they were seriously tested. He should resign. That's not to say we don't have serious problems with available talent, because we really do. But his whole job was to get us to that final, and he failed. And I think in selecting Watkins and McIlorum, two players long past their best, he has to cop some direct responsibility for that.

[Chronicler of Chiswick]

Oh well, if you're going to get a forecast wrong might as well do it properly. Samoa won because, to put it politely, we weren't very good - worst display of the tournament and I tend to agree that overconfidence (or should that be arrogance) could well have been a factor. Supporting Samoa in the final now and we all know how well teams I back do.

[andyscoot]

2 minutes ago, Mojo said:

Reasonable game? He gave alot of soft penalties in Englands favour for most of the game. The penalty for pushing Tomkins over after the kick was one of the worst decisions I've ever seen

Don't tackle late then. I repeat, some of you are incapable of being magnanimous.

[crashmon]

1 minute ago, Wellsy4HullFC said:

Tonga beat Australia recently.

Samoa beat Tonga and England.

NZ have lost to Fiji recently and nearly again last week.

There's definitely a chance. I wouldn't put money on it, but I wouldn't lump my life savings on Australia either.

It will be a game too far for Samoa.  They put everything into beating England today, doubt they will have much left.

 

[DimmestStar]

Just now, Wellsy4HullFC said:

Tonga beat Australia recently.

Samoa beat Tonga and England.

NZ have lost to Fiji recently and nearly again last week.

There's definitely a chance. I wouldn't put money on it, but I wouldn't lump my life savings on Australia either.

Warning! This is the tipster who backed Hull FC prior to their 4-36 hammering by 16 man Hull KR!

[Damien]

1 minute ago, Chrispmartha said:

We basically had the worst prep coming into this game, everyone was getting carried away with those big wins shilst Samoa were building and had a real tough test against Tonga, as I say I think Wane and the Team (and many on here) fell in love with the England team and it wasn’t earned.

The thing is England did play really well in the Samoa and PNG games against teams that should have been strong opposition. They did earn the plaudits.

I do agree with what your point though and think the PNG game in particular was terrible preparation. Literally everything came off, every kick and every bounce went England's way in that first half, and it was just try after try. It was dream RL that doesnt normally happen. In contrast all those kicks today were going dead and those offloads were being dropped.

[Bolton Leyther]

3 minutes ago, crashmon said:

It will be a game too far for Samoa.  They put everything into beating England today, doubt they will have much left.

 

Some people made that same claim in the lead up to today as well.

[gingerjon]

6 minutes ago, Wellsy4HullFC said:

Tonga beat Australia recently.

Samoa beat Tonga and England.

NZ have lost to Fiji recently and nearly again last week.

There's definitely a chance. I wouldn't put money on it, but I wouldn't lump my life savings on Australia either.

If it’s alright, I’ll happily put your life savings on Australia 

[Alan Robertson]

22 minutes ago, Tommygilf said:

We've been losing to Australia, we've lost to NZ in knockout games but beaten them in 2 series', fair enough on the GB farce.

This is our first loss to a nation other than the above two, as England, in ages.

I'm glad that regular victories against France with some victories against NZ are enough to satisfy you.

[Dunbar]

53 minutes ago, Mojo said:

Jarome Luai deserves an apology from all the haters in here that said he was just a show pony

I don't think it was 'all the haters', I think it was just me who used that term.

I admit I was wrong and he has played very well in the last few weeks and has taken Samoa to a deserved World Cup final appearance.

[Bradman Better]

1 hour ago, Just Browny said:

Not sure anything I say in the aftermath of that will be particularly sensible. But fair to say I'm hoping not to see Radley or that gob##### Welsby in an England shirt again.

 

Your comment on Victor Radley is ill considered and mean spirited. Victor has contributed a lot to the fine England performances in 2022, both in attack and defence. Mal Meninga wanted to have him in the Australian squad, but Victor chose England in order to honour his father.

[Roy Haggerty]

1 minute ago, Damien said:

The thing is England did play really well in the Samoa and PNG games against teams that should have been strong opposition. They did earn the plaudits.

I do agree with what your point though and think the PNG game in particular was terrible preparation. Literally everything came off, every kick and every bounce went England's way in that first half, and it was just try after try. It was dream RL that doesnt normally happen. In contrast all those kicks today were going dead and those offloads were being dropped.

And that's where, tbh, you need a combination of your spine and your old heads to settle the nerves, play the percentages and steady the ship. Welsby and Williams as halves should have been dictating play, but how many times did we see last tackle plays where kicks were hurried, the chasers were in front, even Knowles ended up kicking one! And Tomkins and McIlorum, if they had any kind of role, were the veterans who needed to grip the rest of the team and shake their heads. But they just didn't. I thought McIlorum was out of it for most of the game. And Tomkins just wasn't leading either.

[MatthewWoody]

I'm devastated. I keep thinking about it. 

[The Legend]

9 minutes ago, MatthewWoody said:

At the end of the day, England did better under WB.

He had a player called Sam Burgess in his team. He also lost to Papua New Guinea and played Blake Austin on the wing. 

[arcticchris]

It will be interesting to see what the disciplinary panel do with the tip tackle incident as you could legitimately have seen both players sent off as each tackler appeared to be equally at fault for the dangerous tackle.

For the sake of a contest in the final you hope they get a fine only but a ban would be hard to argue.

[Bradman Better]

2 minutes ago, Dunbar said:

I don't think it was 'all the haters', I think it was just me who used that term.

I admit I was wrong and he has played very well in the last few weeks and has taken Samoa to a deserved World Cup final appearance.

Your honesty and humility is impressive  -- especially in the age of Donald Quack.

Edited November 12, 2022 by Bradman Better