Liam Marshall reacts to being dropped by Shaun Wane as England boss contemplating changes

BY KEITH MCGHIE

ENGLAND coach Shaun Wane, while happy to defeat Samoa in the first Test at Wigan on Sunday, believes that his team has to cut out unforced errors if it is to compete with world champions Australia next year, when England are set to tour down under.

“We want to play an attractive brand of rugby and defend tough but we went away from that,” Wane said after the game which England won 34-18.

“That performance would not have troubled Australia so we need to be better. We know what we need to fix and I don’t mean that in a disrespectful way to Samoa. They will say the same thing.”

One player who might have been disappointed not to have made his international debut on his home ground was Wigan winger Liam Marshall.

The prolific scoring Wigan flyer – Super League’s top try scorer in 2024 – was, to some, surprisingly omitted from the 17 who played at the Brick Community Stadium.

But Marshall was first to admit that the Wane’s choice of wingers proved to be perfect for the occasion, with Matty Ashton crossing twice and Dom Young putting in an eye-catching display on the other flank.

And Marshall was completely at ease with the decision while still hoping to make his first appearance in an England shirt.

“It’s disappointing not to play on your home ground but Shaun picks the team and Matty (Ashton) and Dom (Young) are two outstanding players who did an excellent job, so they more than justified their place in the team,” said Marshall.

“It’s tough to change a winning team and I’d fully understand if the team is exactly the same at Headingley, so I don’t expect to play (in Leeds).

“There are definitely areas in which we can improve and Shaun spoke about the two errors that led of their tries. Had they not been scored, it would have been a much more convincing victory on paper than it already was.

“That there is still room for improvement after such a good win is a positive and we are heading in the right direction.”

After the turnaround two years ago, when England hammered Samoa in the World Cup group stages and then were beaten by a field-goal in the semi-final, Marshall assured everyone that there was little chance of any complacency from England.

“I wasn’t in the squad for the World Cup but it has been spoken about.

“We don’t want to get done again like we did then.

“Training will be even tougher, more intense and more focussed than it was last week to make sure that get a 2-0 series win.

“Samoa have some very good young players and are a very big, physical side but that was taken into account in the game plan.

“Those of us who didn’t play will give them a really solid training week so that the team can go again.”

One player who will come into consideration is Wigan prop Luke Thompson, who was suspended for Sunday’s first Test for an offence committed in the recent Grand Final.

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