IF there was ever a more heartbreaking moment in England international rugby league than Saturday, it must be made known.
Of course, looking back over the years, the nation did sustain a nailbiting defeat back in 2013 when New Zealand overcame Steve McNamara’s England in the final minute, but the one on Saturday seemed to hit harder.
Samoa, written off by all and sundry following the hammering by England back in round one, were there for the taking and if England had performed had they had done earlier in the tournament then Shaun Wane could well have been celebrating a final appearance this weekend.
However, it is all a game of ifs and buts with the most important lesson from the weekend being the need for bigger and more fixtures at international level between England and the likes of Samoa, Tonga, New Zealand and Australia.
Having said that, optimism was certainly high among all England fans heading into Saturday’s fixture against Samoa and the viewing figures on TV certainly proved that.
An average of 1.4 million people watched Samoa overcome England in Golden Point with a peak of almost 2.4 million which were superb numbers considering the pull of rugby union internationals and the Premier League that day too.
@England_RL v @RLSamoa was watched by an average of 1.4 million, peaking at nearly 2.4 million. Great figures but still absolutely gutted though. @rugbyleagueontv @AndrewVossy
— Chris Bland (@ChrisBland31) November 13, 2022
