IT just feels rather flat now following Saturday’s defeat to Samoa.
The effort and determination were definitely there from England – as evidenced by the forcing of Golden Point after it looked like almost a step too far – but there was just something missing.
The spark that had set England apart from Samoa in round one was found wanting, though it wasn’t from the lack of trying.
Of course, sometimes when you try too hard, it can have the opposite effect and too many uncharacteristic errors from stars who rarely make such mistakes in Super League or in the NRL came back to haunt Shaun Wane’s men.
But it is a steep learning curve for all the players involved as well as Wane and his coaching staff.
Perhaps the decision to bring Micky McIlorum back onto the field with ten minutes to go despite Victor Radley playing an inspired role at number nine would be something that Wane may not have done in hindsight.
That being said, England pushed Samoa all the way before Stephen Crichton broke English hearts – just as Shaun Johnson did almost ten years ago in the 2013 World Cup semi-final.
One glaring lesson learnt from Saturday’s semi-final, however, is the need for more competitive international games against the likes of Samoa, Tonga, New Zealand and Australia.
Hiding away from international fixtures doesn’t benefit any nation in the long run and Wane himself was frustrated during the Covid-19 pandemic period that he was unable to get a definite gauge of where his team was at.
Training is one thing, but coming up against the best in the world on a big stage is another thing and Wane needs to put his foot down with the IRL in an attempt to organise competitive international fixtures numerous times a year.
How else are England going to improve if they cannot match themselves up against the cream of the NRL crop?
If such fixtures are not forthcoming from 2023 onwards, the heartache of Saturday could well be reincarnated in three years’ time when England head to France for the 2025 World Cup.
