I didn't say Tomkins was . I said I didn't rate Briscoes performance - 2 different players and 2 different statements.

Learn to read. And saying someone had a bad game is different to saying someone is a bad player. I don't know enough of Briscoe to pass comment on him on the whole, all I know is that his game today didn't impress me in the least and I thought he was a weak link.

Tomkins was the best player on the field from either side. It would be scary what he could do to England if he was Australian and played in their side.

A pleasure to watch tonight but sadly its probably pushed him closer to a Union move.

I'll say again, you cannot sin bin someone for foul play, persistent foul play yes but one incident no!

There is no defence within the rules for what Williams did, accidental, poor technique, off balance or any other you want to dream up do not exonerate a player when he makes such a violent and heavy impact above the shoulders of a ball carrier.

You can repeat your defence of Williams a million times but you'll still be wrong!

Good performance, we were on the wrong end of some calls, and the rub of the green certainly went Australia's way and we kept it close and thats something to build from. I certainly saw nothing in that Australia team that should make us nervous. We matched them throughout and could have won if we had cut out some of the silly mistakes we made.

The Briscoe no try was a disastrous decision. I can forgive a ref getting a call wrong, what i cant forgive is him not following the process. He had to refer it to the VR, there was no reason not to refer it to the VR and because he didnt we ended up with the wrong decision. Unacceptable from the referee. I think a few other things went against us as well but from time to time they will. The play the ball was an absolute mess as well.

Sinfield, Roby, Peacock, Morley, Tomkins were very good and more than stood up. Ryan Hall was absolute quality. We cower from the Aussies three-quarters, but Hall would have stood out, even if he was wearing a green and gold jumper, top quality performance from a young English winger against the Aussies. It was a wonderful sight. Jack Reed made things happen he is an exciting talent. Tomkins, Hall and Reed look like an actual threat against the Aussies and that is something great. It has been a long time since we had 3 players in our back 5 who the kiwis and kangaroos will be going on to the field worrying about.

On the negative: Yeaman struggled, but im not sure what we have to replace him. Chase made too many wrong choices. I cant fathom why we would start with Chase and bring on Widdop against tiring defences when Widdop looks like he could give us a lot more structure and Chase looks like he revels in broken play and off the cuff plays than he does turning pressure in to points. To me it seems obvious that if we use those two players we do it the other way around.

All in all, we look probably two world class players away being able to regularly beat the Aussies, though there was plenty to build on if we qualify for the final and no reason why we cant beat them in a one off. Id like to see Widdop start against the Kiwis with Chase on the bench and see how that works. I could have liked to see another prop on the bench tonight in place of Wilkin and I think thats what we should go with next week.

What are you talking about? You have no clue

Match Report: northernsportsreport.com/2011/11 ... australia/ Reaction: northernsportsreport.com/2011/11 ... r-critics/ Thoughts?

Match Report: northernsportsreport.com/2011/11 ... australia/ Reaction: northernsportsreport.com/2011/11 ... r-critics/ Thoughts?

anyone hear or know todays attendance?

42,344

pretty good really.

The attendance wasn't bad at all. It just looked poor with the sheer size and layout of Wembley.

That's encouraging. It definitely sounded like a lot more during that second half!

may have looked better if both sides of the upper tier seats were covered with giant flags of the england, wales, nz and australia

Lot of negativity on here. I thought England played very well for the most - a country mile better than the last World Cup or Four Nations. A couple of basic defensive errors (why people continue to run out the line against Aus has baffled me for years) and handling mistakes cost us dearly - but then we know any errors against the ockers will be punished.

Ref was good for the first half, but lost the plot in the second. That idiot who says Williams' shot was accidental has obviously never played and doesn't understand that he lined up for that shot; his entire body set up for it before he threw it. Deliberate and a good case for a straight red, but definitely a yellow. Ref bottled it. Why he didn't go to the video ref for Briscoe's effort I don't understand. Poor effort.

As for Aus, people may say they played within themselves, but then they weren't that great against NZ either. England defended well and put them on the back foot at times, and were intelligent territorially until penalties or mistakes handed over possession in dangerous areas. Aus probably do have another gear but they don't seem as fluid a unit as in the past.

We should beat NZ based on that performance and if we can cut out the small errors we'll give Aus a tougher game in the final.

Im still struggling to see the fuss about Heighington personally....would shift Sinfield to 13 next week and start with Maguire amd Widdop in halves....Confirmed what i have always though of chase today...big fish in small pond and vastly over-rated.

Absolutely bang on. Sinfield is a good, intelligent player, but he has very limited speed and little or no creative spark. This basically means that he's a postbox at number 6. Contrast that to the Aussies, where Thurston and Lockyer take on the line and offer threat every time they touch the ball. Stick Sinfield at 13 (really, Heighington is little more than a cultural cringe towards the NRL - both JJB and Wilkin played better when they came on). Then we can play Widdop at 6. Unfortunately, I suspect all the training has been for this combination, and Macnamara is just not good enough a coach to be able to change things around successfully, or even admit to being wrong in his initial selections.

I thought Thurston was superb and Australia whenever they had to step up a gear they could. England still to me look like a side that when forced to defend there own 20 look like they will concede. If NZ get in the last 20 they will score!!

Sam Thaiday is immense.

Widdop has to play. Sienfield should not be in the halves!!

Ryan Hall is just a brilliant finisher. Everytime I see him play whenever he has a sniff of the tryline he does not disappoint. His 1st try was world class!!

Briscoe did score but he still messed up by not going for the line. It was the wrong decision and there would of been no doubt if he went for the line.

Tomkins was very very good. Thats the 1st time v top opposition for England I have seen him put in the positions to make things happen and he did just that. If there is one English back that Australia will want in the NRL it's Tomkins.

Is that supposed to validate your opinion somehow?

How old are you?

We can take them in the final. Just cut out the silly mistakes and be more clinical close to the line. It was 2 tries a piece at halftime but we should have been going in at the break in front, we had more territory and posession and should have converted it to points. Instead, not only did we not go to the break in front, we went in 4 points behind!

Then a stupid mistake and boom, Inglis is over. Then in the space of 2 minutes aus should have been a man down, and only 4 points ahead with briscoe scoring. Instead none of the above comes to pass aus go up the other end and make it 24-8, game over.

Australia are ruthless and if you give them an inch, they take a mile.

Overall it was 6 tries to 4 (should have been 5) and considering england were pretty much playing without 2 forwards for an entire half, and one on one leg, it's a bloody good effort. We should feel confident we can make the final and beat them, because we can.

England need to tighten up their fringe defence, if they can defend australia better when they work the ball wide, we will win.

On another note, I never read as much rubbish on here as when the internationals roll around. I don't know whether people are taking the m*ck or what, but it's a one opinion fits all thing. It doesn't matter what happens in the game it's ''english rugby league will be dead in 2 years, the poms are shocking, australia won at a canter and would have broken a thousand if they could be bothered, england are further behind than ever before blah blah blah''.

People are idiots.

By 'step up a gear' do you mean simply score when field position is gifted to them? Clinical yes, but hardly stepping up a gear.

I know it sounds bitter but I can't remember a game of england australia where england got the rub of the green in terms of refs calls. Bounce of the ball and 50/50 calls always go aus way and england needs those things going their way to beat them,.

The bounce of the ball consistently going their way is mainly due to the fact that they are always ready for the offload. We spend too much time not doing that and instead setting up for the next tackle. Twice in good positions an England player got the ball out in a dangerous area and players who should have been in a position to capitalise were looking the other way pointing at their own line.

Good turn out,but dare I say it after 31 years of London RL why wasn't it sold out.

I remember going to Manchester City AFC's 'new' stadium a few short years ago and thinking what a fantastic stadium it was,and guess what RL has never been back there.

Had it been at Manchester City's ground today I would definitely have been there,but down to London and staying over is just a bridge too far just now personally.

Couple of things on this thread
Yep the ref should have gone to the video for the disallowed try, there was nothing wrong with it, and the penalty for the offload after the tackle was complete when it was not, do not see anyone on here complaining about the scrum we won when the aus player got taken in to touch with his foot lifted! soon as the foot is lifted tackle should be called complete
The head shot did not deserve a yellow! the fight shoudl have resulted in a yellow

31 years of RL in London means we should have filled Wembley errr how many of the "heartland" supporters bothered with Leigh last week? is next week sold out yet?
The "jewel in the crown" event for RL as in the trand final, was it full? why not you lot have had over 100 years of RL
It was a good crowd!! and a brave move to take it to Wembley

''you lot''?

What do you mean by that?

Good post and agree with most points but particularly about our backs; all of our back 5 apart for Yeaman looked international class and all are 23 or younger so which is great for our international future.

There's also some great young British forwards coming through in SL so I look forward to our team being competitive in future international tournaments.

The big issue going forward is obviously the halves because all of our British players don't seem to be traditional type halves to form an orthodox partnership at international level but as far as next week goes, I'd be inclined to pick McGuire instead of Chase to keep the partnership that won SL at Leeds.

The head shot did not deserve a yellow,am I reading that right,are you serious.Remember when Adrian Morley was sent off in the first minute at Wigan vs Australia,so you tell me what was the difference between that and today.

London,the metropolis of what is it around 7 million people and yet the upper tier remained empty.

Because the game was in London, and RL has been going in London for 31years it was suggested the place should be full of Londoners!
the "heartland" has had over 100 years of RL but did not fill Old trafford for the Grand Final! it was just a daft comment! By the way I am a northerner in excile down here
If this had been played at Old Trafford would it have been full? who knows, personally i would like to think so but doubt it very much

I hope the final is a sell out!

the Adrian Morley sending off, even Mozza agrees it was a sending off, first tackle of the game and a player sets his stall out like that, the ref has no choice to respond!
I have not seen the shot on TV yet so yep may change my mind, it was on the whole a pretty clean game, so i stand by it one incident like that at that stage of the game did not deserve a yellow