Sun 27th Oct: Men's International: England v Samoa KO 2.30pm (BBC Two)

[Exiled Wiganer]

I must apologise as one of the quirks of being able to watch every game is that I ended up watching all Wigan’s and Salford’s - as they were pretty much always exciting games - so had narrower exposure to other teams than in days gone by, so I would hesitate to comment on players outside those teams, but looking at Wigan’s players past and present: 

Havard and Thompson are fantastic players, and can do long minutes without any drop in effectiveness. I would have them in my England team like a shot. 

Wardle is a world class centre, and I would have picked him ahead of both those who played yesterday. They are both good players, but having seen Wardle every week, he is special. I think Farnworth is a better than Newman, but not much in it. 

Marshall was also in the squad, and is a very very good player. However, Ashton’s international performances are so good as to make Marshall a long way away from the team. 

I think Smith is terrific, but I think the Aussies would rather play against him than Lewis, so I would pick Lewis. A good problem to have though. 

O’Neill could be our best hooker. He really is that good. Time will tell, and again another good problem. 

Nsemba could be world class - certainly he is far better than KPP, who is very good. I think Bateman is pretty risk free, and am not calling for his head, but if the test is who would the Aussies fear more, then Nsemba for mine. But Bateman is a terrific player, and gives his all. 

I think Williams is touching heights I didn’t think he had in him. The best international performance I have seen so far this year. More of the same, please. 

[StandOffHalf]

42 minutes ago, Exiled Wiganer said:

I must apologise as one of the quirks of being able to watch every game is that I ended up watching all Wigan’s and Salford’s - as they were pretty much always exciting games - so had narrower exposure to other teams than in days gone by, so I would hesitate to comment on players outside those teams, but looking at Wigan’s players past and present: 

Havard and Thompson are fantastic players, and can do long minutes without any drop in effectiveness. I would have them in my England team like a shot. 

Wardle is a world class centre, and I would have picked him ahead of both those who played yesterday. They are both good players, but having seen Wardle every week, he is special. I think Farnworth is a better than Newman, but not much in it. 

Marshall was also in the squad, and is a very very good player. However, Ashton’s international performances are so good as to make Marshall a long way away from the team. 

I think Smith is terrific, but I think the Aussies would rather play against him than Lewis, so I would pick Lewis. A good problem to have though. 

O’Neill could be our best hooker. He really is that good. Time will tell, and again another good problem. 

Nsemba could be world class - certainly he is far better than KPP, who is very good. I think Bateman is pretty risk free, and am not calling for his head, but if the test is who would the Aussies fear more, then Nsemba for mine. But Bateman is a terrific player, and gives his all. 

I think Williams is touching heights I didn’t think he had in him. The best international performance I have seen so far this year. More of the same, please. 

Very fair assessment.

My only quibble is that I think you are slightly under-valuing Farnworth. I think he is in the top three centres in the world, along with Crichton and Wardle.

I'm not that familiar with O'Neill. Interesting to see that he is rated so highly. I'd have gone with the Wire hooker to start yesterday.

I hope Nsemba is at least on the bench for next week.

[The Mighty Trin]

On 26/10/2024 at 09:08, ELBOWSEYE said:

At least 7 Yorkshire born players and I have not researched some of the others so what you saying.

Actually enjoyed the game, really tough physical battle. All I'm saying is I'm a born Yorkshireman living in Scotland, I've never cared for England and would prefer a Great Britain to return or a Yorkshire side which I know is not going to happen, but I feel more associated with the White Rose then a bleeding red one lol Would have travelled down to Gateshead to support our 3 Trinity players who should have represented Scotland but they decided to go for a weaker youthlike squad...like that's gonna do any favours for our game. Hope this answers your question mate.

[Dunbar]

3 hours ago, Exiled Wiganer said:

I must apologise as one of the quirks of being able to watch every game is that I ended up watching all Wigan’s and Salford’s - as they were pretty much always exciting games - so had narrower exposure to other teams than in days gone by, so I would hesitate to comment on players outside those teams, but looking at Wigan’s players past and present: 

Havard and Thompson are fantastic players, and can do long minutes without any drop in effectiveness. I would have them in my England team like a shot. 

Wardle is a world class centre, and I would have picked him ahead of both those who played yesterday. They are both good players, but having seen Wardle every week, he is special. I think Farnworth is a better than Newman, but not much in it. 

Marshall was also in the squad, and is a very very good player. However, Ashton’s international performances are so good as to make Marshall a long way away from the team. 

I think Smith is terrific, but I think the Aussies would rather play against him than Lewis, so I would pick Lewis. A good problem to have though. 

O’Neill could be our best hooker. He really is that good. Time will tell, and again another good problem. 

Nsemba could be world class - certainly he is far better than KPP, who is very good. I think Bateman is pretty risk free, and am not calling for his head, but if the test is who would the Aussies fear more, then Nsemba for mine. But Bateman is a terrific player, and gives his all. 

I think Williams is touching heights I didn’t think he had in him. The best international performance I have seen so far this year. More of the same, please. 

Can't argue with much of that.  But this is the Internet so I am obliged to.

In all seriousness, the only point for me is the centres, I agree Wardle is world class but Farnworth is very special, he is as good an athlete as there is in world Rugby League right now and would be picked in any side, club or country. I would have Farnworth and Wardle with Newman as a very capable back up.

[Damien]

2 minutes ago, Dunbar said:

Can't argue with much of that.  But this is the Internet so I am obliged to.

In all seriousness, the only point for me is the centres, I agree Wardle is world class but Farnworth is very special, he is as good an athlete as there is in world Rugby League right now and would be picked in any side, club or country. I would have Farnworth and Wardle with Newman as a very capable back up.

It is a case of Farnworth and who else, its the most clear cut starting selection for me. I'd certainly have Wardle too.

[WN83]

2 hours ago, StandOffHalf said:

Very fair assessment.

My only quibble is that I think you are slightly under-valuing Farnworth. I think he is in the top three centres in the world, along with Crichton and Wardle.

I'm not that familiar with O'Neill. Interesting to see that he is rated so highly. I'd have gone with the Wire hooker to start yesterday.

I hope Nsemba is at least on the bench for next week.

Brad O'Neill is made for test match rugby league. He was absolutely superb against Penrith in the WCC. I just hope he can come back in good shape from his ACL injury and then put his name in the mix for the Ashes. 

[Mojo]

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DBqqijwIun2/?igsh=b2NianJzNTBpa2lm

[Exiled Wiganer]

1 hour ago, Dunbar said:

Can't argue with much of that.  But this is the Internet so I am obliged to.

In all seriousness, the only point for me is the centres, I agree Wardle is world class but Farnworth is very special, he is as good an athlete as there is in world Rugby League right now and would be picked in any side, club or country. I would have Farnworth and Wardle with Newman as a very capable back up.

We end up with the same centres. I have seen far more of Wardle than Farnworth, so I was going from what I have seen. I am not going to die in a ditch over it. Moreover, there are many other England qualified players I have not seen that much of, so am happy to be proven wrong. If there are players out there better than Wigan’s best then happy days for England and TGG!

[northamptoncougar]

Apart from size / skill / strength and proving himself as one of the best in the best competition in the world I wholeheartedly agree that there’s barely any difference between Farnworth and Newman.

[StandOffHalf]

25 minutes ago, Mojo said:

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DBqqijwIun2/?igsh=b2NianJzNTBpa2lm

Awesome to see the embrace and respect.

[Mojo]

11 hours ago, StandOffHalf said:

You turned the commentary off, or the game itself?

I actually thought that Newsum was better than I remembered him being for the Tonga series. Less of that rush in his voice at exciting patches.

Geez I thought the commentary was biased as always. The HT show was even worse. Instead of talking about the assessment of the first half they were bagging the samoan team the whole time. I guess I'm used to this sides commentary and HT assessment but geez I was close to putting my tv on mute lol

[Dave T]

9 minutes ago, Mojo said:

Geez I thought the commentary was biased as always. The HT show was even worse. Instead of talking about the assessment of the first half they were bagging the samoan team the whole time. I guess I'm used to this sides commentary and HT assessment but geez I was close to putting my tv on mute lol

To be fair, I think the commentary was relevant to what was happening in the game. Did it have an English bias, sure, but it mirrored the chat on the thread, the Samoa team let themselves down for large parts of the first half and were frustrating. When they started to play a bit of Rugby and entertain, they did some good stuff and got the credit for that.

But it's no surprise that the half time analysis was down on Samoa imo.

[StandOffHalf]

8 minutes ago, Mojo said:

Geez I thought the commentary was biased as always. The HT show was even worse. Instead of talking about the assessment of the first half they were bagging the samoan team the whole time. I guess I'm used to this sides commentary and HT assessment but geez I was close to putting my tv on mute lol

Yeah, I watched the extended highlights today and certainly picked up on a few things that came across as disparaging or one-sided that didn't register live.

I was more talking about Newsum the lead commentator. I think he was pretty good. Davies and Noble should perhaps be put out to pasture.

[EagleEyePie]

Newsum isn't too bad as lead commentator. Not one of the very best but not everyone can be. Davies and Noble have been an issue for a long time. Davies can't pronounce any of the players names correctly and doesn't seem to have paid attention to RL for a couple of decades and Brian Noble doesn't recognise any of the players and is constantly asking who did what. They don't offer any insight at all during the game. It's the equivalent of BBC football coverage still having Mark Lawrenson and Alan Hansen (before his health issues) as co-commentators.

And the less said about Robbie Hunter-Paul the better. Does he not plan what he's going to say during his pre-match wander onto the field? He just mumbles some mundane mutterings that make Barrie and Terry seem positively articulate.

With the BBC they do so many things well but the reliance on the same old faces for decades is a real let down.

[Mojo]

2 hours ago, Dave T said:

To be fair, I think the commentary was relevant to what was happening in the game. Did it have an English bias, sure, but it mirrored the chat on the thread, the Samoa team let themselves down for large parts of the first half and were frustrating. When they started to play a bit of Rugby and entertain, they did some good stuff and got the credit for that.

But it's no surprise that the half time analysis was down on Samoa imo.

I thought calling out Tuivasa-Shocking and having a laugh about it was pretty disrespectful.

[Dullish Mood]

2 hours ago, northamptoncougar said:

Apart from size / skill / strength and proving himself as one of the best in the best competition in the world I wholeheartedly agree that there’s barely any difference between Farnworth and Newman.

This tickled me and definitely wins the internet for today.  Bravo sir.

[unapologetic pedant]

Haven't read all the thread. Bit miffed by one or two of the comments about the England performance. Seems that when we play anyone other than Australia, some fans just want us to make no errors, take no risks, nil the opposition, and win by about 12-0.

A primary aim of international RL is to generate interest beyond the normal confines. Open improvised attacking play helps promote the game far more than completing our sets in a training-drill borefest. As confirmed by ticket sales and rising anticipation for this Saturday. 

Particularly encouraging that England didn't retreat into their shell when Samoa were threatening to catch them.

[NRLandSL]

Highlights for the game on YouTube already has 250 thousand views. 50k more than the Australia NZ game and 150k more than the England V Tonga series highlights which were posted a year ago. Also 20k more than the NRL grand final highlights. Pretty encouraging numbers, Perhaps shows International games are gaining in popularity.

[NRLandSL]

3 minutes ago, NRLandSL said:

Highlights for the game on YouTube already has 250 thousand views. 50k more than the Australia NZ game and 150k more than the England V Tonga series highlights which were posted a year ago. Also 20k more than the NRL grand final highlights. Pretty encouraging numbers, Perhaps shows International games are gaining in popularity.

Will also probably end up as the highest viewed rugby league match of the year in terms of highlights.

Edited October 29, 2024 by NRLandSL

[StandOffHalf]

2 hours ago, NRLandSL said:

Highlights for the game on YouTube already has 250 thousand views. 50k more than the Australia NZ game and 150k more than the England V Tonga series highlights which were posted a year ago. Also 20k more than the NRL grand final highlights. Pretty encouraging numbers, Perhaps shows International games are gaining in popularity.

Pretty incredible to think that the highlights package for a game in England has got 25 per cent more views than a Roos v Kiwis package on the NRL's website.

I wonder what accounts for that... I suppose if the Roos vs Kiwis highlights are available on other platforms such as 9 and Sky Sports NZ that may account for the numbers.

Edited October 29, 2024 by StandOffHalf

[Dave T]

9 hours ago, Mojo said:

I thought calling out Tuivasa-Shocking and having a laugh about it was pretty disrespectful.

Ah, I didn't see that. Which pundit was that?

[Farmduck]

1 hour ago, StandOffHalf said:

Pretty incredible to think that the highlights package for a game in England has got 25 per cent more views than a Roos v Kiwis package on the NRL's website.

I wonder what accounts for that... I suppose if the Roos vs Kiwis highlights are available on other platforms such as 9 and Sky Sports NZ that may account for the numbers.

Most people who wanted to watch OZ/NZ would have watched it live probably. I didn't watch ENG/SAM live but about 4 hours later. Maybe it also says a lot of fans will watch free highlights on YT but aren't committed enough to RL to pay for a pay TV subscription. (or can't afford one.)

Maybe also the schedule. Having the Samoa game on a Sunday would have made it inconvenient for many Southern Hemisphere viewers, even moreso than the usual English time slots. Possible also that every RL/sports TV show on OZ TV has already shown the highlights of the OZ/NZ game.

[NRLandSL]

8 minutes ago, Farmduck said:

Most people who wanted to watch OZ/NZ would have watched it live probably. I didn't watch ENG/SAM live but about 4 hours later. Maybe it also says a lot of fans will watch free highlights on YT but aren't committed enough to RL to pay for a pay TV subscription. (or can't afford one.)

Maybe also the schedule. Having the Samoa game on a Sunday would have made it inconvenient for many Southern Hemisphere viewers, even moreso than the usual English time slots. Possible also that every RL/sports TV show on OZ TV has already shown the highlights of the OZ/NZ game.

Yeah I agree that must have had a lot to do with the high viewership. But all of the international games these last few weeks have had massive views counts, far more than NRL finals matches. AUS-NZ 200k, Fiji-PNG 200k, AUS-TON 213k. I think it’s fair to see International rugby league is growing in popularity, at least it seems. I haven’t looked at attendances yet but most games have looked pretty full.

[StandOffHalf]

12 minutes ago, Farmduck said:

Most people who wanted to watch OZ/NZ would have watched it live probably. I didn't watch ENG/SAM live but about 4 hours later. Maybe it also says a lot of fans will watch free highlights on YT but aren't committed enough to RL to pay for a pay TV subscription. (or can't afford one.)

Maybe also the schedule. Having the Samoa game on a Sunday would have made it inconvenient for many Southern Hemisphere viewers, even moreso than the usual English time slots. Possible also that every RL/sports TV show on OZ TV has already shown the highlights of the OZ/NZ game.

Ah, yeah. I hadn't thought of that last explanation. Makes sense.

[StandOffHalf]

14 minutes ago, Dave T said:

Ah, I didn't see that. Which pundit was that?

I think it's fairly easy to guess that it was Wilkin...