Well done England on beating the Combined Nations All Stars.
But in terms of preparation for what’s to come this autumn, I’m not sure how valuable that game will prove to be.
I thought it lacked quality and intensity – it was a bit pedestrian and at times more like an exhibition or testimonial match than a full-scale international.
Hopefully the game against Fiji at Rochdale on Friday, October 7 will be step up before the big World Cup opener against Samoa at Newcastle eight days later.
Samoa have their own hit-out against Cook Islands in Sydney on Saturday, with Fiji facing Papua New Guinea in a double-header, while I’m looking forward the meeting of New Zealand and Tonga in Auckland, which will give an indication of what those two might bring to the tournament.
Of course, there will be additions to the various squads on show at this stage, and all the England players picked on Saturday could do was give it their all.
I thought the likes of John Bateman, Tommy Makinson, Michael McIlorum, Alex Walmsley, Jake Wardle and George Williams all played well.
It was interesting to hear Shaun Wane talk about “trusting” Williams, because he certainly can’t have been picked on his current club form.
He looked like he was playing with less pressure on his shoulders, and benefited as a result, and it will be interesting to see if he can reproduce the kind of performance he showed on Saturday in a Warrington shirt.
Shaun looks like he’ll go with those Wigan connections, with Sam Tomkins leading from fullback and McIlorum picked at hooker ahead of the likes of Daryl Clark and Kruise Leeming, who lined up for the Combined Nations.
And to be fair, I think McIlorum is closer to James Roby than any other option because he’s consistent and provides that gritty touch defensively.
Wigan and Giants continue to impress
It’s just over three weeks since the Challenge Cup final at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium – and I have to say I’m very impressed by what both winners Wigan and gallant runners-up Huddersfield have done since.
Both Matty Peet and Ian Watson are reflecting on two Super League wins from two as they prepare to face Toulouse at home on Friday and Hull KR away on Sunday respectively.
Wigan, who after seeing off Castleford and Salford, are third in Super League but only behind Catalans Dragons on points difference, have been busy with contract extensions, which will keep hooker Sam Powell at the club until 2024 and props Liam Byrne and Ethan Hazard until 2025 and 2024 respectively.
Suspension might have kept Powell out of the final at Tottenham, when Brad O’Neill featured instead, but he’s won the World Club Challenge, two Super League titles and two Challenge Cups with Wigan, and at 29, still has plenty of fuel in the tank.
Byrne and Hazard are younger but have both shown what they’re about, and it’s good business by Wigan to tie them down on extended deals.
For a while, top players like Sam Tomkins, Michael McIlorum, John Bateman and George Williams were allowed to leave, although Bateman, of course, has since returned.
That might have had some beneficial financial impact, but it didn’t do the team any good, but now it seems Wigan are working to keep hold of their better players.
I’ve said several times how impressed I am with the way Matty Peet, Sean O’Loughlin and Lee Briers are going about their coaching roles, and there seems to be some real stability at the club, which is important.
I think they will be simply too strong for Toulouse and win by 42.
Huddersfield are fourth in the standings, and they have responded well to their cruel final defeat by Wigan.
A heartbreaking late loss like the one they suffered can cause a hangover, but Ian Watson has managed to turn a negative into a positive, because rather than feeling sorry for themselves, his Giants have rolled their sleeves up and registered an impressive win over Catalans in France and a follow-up success at home to Leeds.
Victories have been scarce for Hull KR of late, with only Salford beaten in their last six games, which include the Challenge Cup semi-final defeat at Elland Road by Huddersfield, who I think will prevail by seven points on Sunday.
Round 16 starts with St Helens versus Leeds on Thursday, and I’m going Kristian Woolf’s league leaders by 26, while the following night, I reckon Warrington’s woes will continue when they host Hull, whose superior pack power will help them to victory by ten.
While Wakefield have chalked up two important wins in their last two games, I think Salford will edge Sunday’s clash at the AJ Bell Stadium by seven, while at over at Castleford, Catalans will get the job done, by ten.
Meanwhile in Perth on Sunday, it’s the second State of Origin game, and after their impressive win in Sydney in the opener, I think they Queensland could wrap up the series before their home match in Brisbane in Game III.
I’m predicting Billy Slater’s Maroons by eight points.
Leigh in the driving seat
So it’s advantage Leigh in the fight for promotion to Super League after their second win over Featherstone in a matter of weeks.
Adrian Lam’s side look very, very strong, and just as in the 1895 Cup Final, their power and pace proved too much for Rovers in their Championship meeting a week ago.
Derek Beaumont is giving it everything in his bid to lead Leigh back to the top-flight, and I wouldn’t be too surprised if there were further squad additions.
But Mark Campbell is also 100 per cent behind his club Featherstone, who have a very experienced and proven coach in Brian McDermott.
It’s all about peaking at the right time, and he has shown he knows how to do that through his achievements at Leeds.
As Brian said after the game at Leigh, the scoreline was certainly a setback, but not season-defining.
Goodbye, Bill
Like pretty much everyone who crossed paths with him, I was really saddened to hear of the death, aged 74, of Bill Ashurst.
He was not just a very good backrow forward for Wigan, Penrith, Wakefield, Lancashire and Great Britain, but also a top bloke.
Bill was a no-nonsense player and, as several dismissals across his career shows, not worried about mixing it.
But that shouldn’t detract from his talent, and he was a proper old-school operator with great hands and good footwork.
Bill was an accomplished kicker into the bargain, and I know he remained very popular at Penrith.
He made many return visits and I reckon we could learn a thing or two from the Aussies about how to treat former players.
The fans over there really buy into the history and heritage of the game as a whole, not just their own club.
I used to come across Bill on the hospitality circuit and I loved listening to the tales from his time both playing and coaching (at Wakefield and Runcorn).
He also put a lot back into the game through his work with amateur clubs in and around his beloved Wigan.
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