You get better much much faster playing against better opposition. Thompson and Milner are now both first team regulars ar Cas. They will be fantastic players by the end of next season. The youth policies at Wigan and Wire have to be applauded. I am amazed at the lack of Saints players though. That is unusual. The worrying thing for me now is that Wigan and Wire have top notch 1st teams with huge wage bills and I can't see many of the young ones breaking into the first team.

I hope the wigan coaching staff carry on their policy of dropping players no matter who they are. It will be difficult though. As we have seen, the aussies throw the teddy out and go home all the time. Unfortunatley the kids in this England team will probably end up being duel registered and develop a lot slower than they could.

thats not true mate.

Great result for the England lads.

Should be an interesting second test at Castleford on Friday night(if the thaw has set in by Friday)

Sorry John but I have to dissagree with that part of your post!

The youth set up at Trinity is very good and consistently identifys, recruits and develops a lot of tallent. The problem at Wakefield seems to be a lack of commitment or policy when promoting those players to 1st team football.

On which note - well done to Leigh for getting the game on. I don't think too many other games around the country have gone ahead this weekend.

Hence the system is poor.

I also believe holding those 18's back to win the trophy was a massive error which could cost a few of them a shot at first team rugby which is criminal.

The idea of a youth set up is to develop players and get them through to first team level and Trinity have failed to do so, or have let many of the best younger lads leave to sometimes higher profile clubs, but often to clubs of the same standing which is criminal.

The England Academy Squad in full is as follows:

Danny Bridge, Greg Burke, Jack Hughes, Ryan King, Sam Powell, Matthew Russell, Matthew Sarsfield (Wigan Warriors)
Ben Evans, Rhys Evans, James Laithwaite, Gareth O’Brien, Ryan Shaw (Warrington Wolves)
Adam O’Brien, Cain Southernwood (Bradford Bulls)
Carl Foster (St Helens)
Olsi Krasniqi (Harlequins RL)
Reece Lyne (Hull FC)
Adam Milner (Castleford Tigers)
Jared Stewart (Leeds Rhinos)
Jordan Thompson (Castleford Tigers)

9 clubs represented in the "squad"....10 if Hull Kingston Australians had any running our for the roos

8.

MY BAD.....although I did just cut and paste it from another thread....

Still very poor looking apart from Warrington and the pies

still can't find any reference to the result over here in Oz just yet. However I can find the previous results of the aussies winning. One on the NRL site itself, the other on the NSWRL site. All they know here is that they've won in England. It was Adrian Morley a few years ago on the Footy Show that congratulated the Academy boys when they beat the Aussie schoolboys. Something the hosts didn't mention, but they did they week before when they won. You gotta laugh. www.nrl.com/news/news/newsarticl ... fault.aspx www.nswrl.com.au/default.aspx?s= ... o-from-two

still can't find any reference to the result over here in Oz just yet. However I can find the previous results of the aussies winning. One on the NRL site itself, the other on the NSWRL site. All they know here is that they've won in England. It was Adrian Morley a few years ago on the Footy Show that congratulated the Academy boys when they beat the Aussie schoolboys. Something the hosts didn't mention, but they did they week before when they won. You gotta laugh. www.nrl.com/news/news/newsarticl ... fault.aspx www.nswrl.com.au/default.aspx?s= ... o-from-two

nrlprod.wic104cx.server-web.com/ ... fault.aspx England Academy wins first Test....

nrlprod.wic104cx.server-web.com/ ... fault.aspx England Academy wins first Test....

Excellent. Bout time. Only two days after the event and written by the RFL. www.nswrl.com.au/default.aspx?s= ... schoolboys and the nswrl post the same article half hour later. Atleast it's up. Well done to the RFL for supplying them the report. Don't understand why the aussie journalist John Coates didn't supply a report for a more important game than the one he wrote when the aussies won??? Or did he? Anyone? www.sportingpulse.com/assoc_page ... onID=26416 another article written by an australian for the sake of fairness

Excellent. Bout time. Only two days after the event and written by the RFL. www.nswrl.com.au/default.aspx?s= ... schoolboys and the nswrl post the same article half hour later. Atleast it's up. Well done to the RFL for supplying them the report. Don't understand why the aussie journalist John Coates didn't supply a report for a more important game than the one he wrote when the aussies won??? Or did he? Anyone? www.sportingpulse.com/assoc_page ... onID=26416 another article written by an australian for the sake of fairness

They should be scheduling the next game at the LSV as well. The pitch was like a bowling green and it would give a few more days to publicise the event.
The LSV is like a who's who of RL at the moment with so many teams using its facilities.

You dont think that might p*ss off those who have already bought tickets and wouldnt be able to travel to leigh?

It's either that or call the game off, and with respect I think the Aussies have travelled that much further and then end up not playing?

No disrespect to Cas but it is a poor stadium, with a short pitch that is uneven, doesnt have undersoil heating and must be a risk as to whether the game will be played, looking at the forecasts you will have it very cold till Thursday when it will get up to 5/6 degrees. Where will the teams train ?

Leigh took it at short notice last week, the other option could be Huddersfield, and the £3 ticket sales in advance wont break the bank for refunds

How do you know the game will have to be called off?

I'd have thought it pretty likely that the minus temperatures will continue until at least Thursday, at which point it will be too late to organise and publicise an alternative venue.

The pitch is not uneven at all, its one of the flattest, best kept pitches in rl.

From what i hear the pitch will be fine for friday as things currently stand, so there is no need to move the game.

So an unheated pitch will be able to withstand sub zero temperatures throughout the week and potentially on the evening as well?

They wont need an alternative venue as the ground should be okay for friday night.

The forecast for thursday in cas is minimum temp of +3, and the minimum temperature for friday night is forecast as +5, so there really should be no problem.

Rfl are to inspect the Cas pitch tomorrow (tuesday) and make a decision as to whether to switch the game to Leigh. They cannot run the risk of calling off at 4pm on friday due to a pitch that might be fit - for an international it isn't an on the day call that a normal game against local opposition would be.

Finally! I was beginning to wonder if I was the only one on that wavelength!