An opportunity missed to give the squad players game time with a view to the World Cup in 2021. We needed to start planning for this, and the squad selection with this event on the horizon was bizarre.

As the only person to predict the possibility of this outcome, I am chuffed by the PNG victory. And it came with PNG missing their "bad boys" -- hooker James Segyaro and centre-winger Nene Macdonald.

PNG is improving in leaps and bounds, which is great for the international game. Also PNG has an emerging super star in full back/winger Edene Gebbie, who today showed a glimpse of what he can do. Justin Olam, David Mead and Alexander Johnston are all world class players. The PNG half, Watson Boas, along with his brother Ase, are massively underrated, and deserve to be playing in Super League, not for Doncaster. The PNG backs completely outplayed their British opponents.

Hit the nail square on the head, we just do not have enough kids playing the game, the once strong breeding ground of countless young talented players the Hull league is just about finished. 4 teams last year & one was an a team, & they failed to fulfill a lot of fixtures. The rest of the youth leagues are struggling for players & a lot of them are snapped up by the pro academy system just to make up numbers & will never make it As professionals let alone get to the national side.

Edited for accuracy

Ha Ha,yer right there Axey, the troll is a complete nincompoop.

The only nincompoops are the two people ---Gutterfax/Call Me God/AXE2GRIND and Cokey -- who think that I blamed Wakefield and Leigh for the British defeat. I did not write any such thing. To suggest that I did is just desperate trolling from people who cannot concede that I called the game's possible outcome in advance.

On your second box of kleenex yet bazza...

No, but the hatred from you regarding the said clubs makes you a very sick person.

My ultimate wish for the 2020 season is that Leigh and Wakefield rip up their respective divisions big time.

That's four people, isn't it?

If PNG go really well in the WC it will be because Lachlan Lam reaches his potential next year.
Most of the emerging countries struggle to get a decent playmaker on the field, and Lam looks like being a world class 5/8 in the next few years.
This could be a breakout year for him, and he could is just what PNG needs.

No it's not. Gutterfax, Call Me God and AXE2GRIND are the consecutive usernames of the same person -- a sad old Irish expat holed up in Wellington New Zealand.

I agree. Lachlan Lam paired with one of the Boas brothers could be devastating.

Lol that will never happen

How bad is Widdop? To think Warrington wasted a marquee slot on him Is hilarious

If Widdop doesn't show a great improvement in form, Warrington could get mullered by the powerful teams like St Helens, Wigan, Catalans and Toronto.

Think I'll save this post....

I forgot to mention Leeds as well. Sorry about that.

GB were rubbish, but as a sport rugby league needs to invest massively in PNG and Tonga. I realise most of the Tongan players and fans were born and bred in NZ or Aus, but their passion puts everyone else to shame. PNG is a country of around 8m people who seem to absolutely love RL. Invest properly in those two and we start to have a five nation international game instead of three (and yeah, I realise GB/Eng are currently fifth on the list anyway).

Had a poor test series behind a beaten pack (that included Chris Hill), and with a set of backs that were either out of form, out of position, or both.

My irony meter has just exploded..... Sorry, OUR irony meter


I dont do subtle bazza..... You're a troll that is inexplanarably given free rein here, whilst those of us with genuine topics to discuss are sidelined from time to time. You're a budget leaguefreak.

It was a great performance by PNG. We have consistently underrated some of their players, who ply their trade in the lower divisions, but deserve at least a berth in a Super League team.

How would you invest in Tonga to boost Tonga RL?

Genuine question BTW......given that Hurrell is the only Tongan born player in the current squad and he moved to Auckland on a Union scholarship? Also. Where is this massive investment coming from?
Triple header in Auckland attracts 26k people paying about £9 a head. Australian 19 gets £285,000, as do the Kiwis and GB......my math may be a bit out, but that's a HUGE loss, so where is the money coming from.

In RL, the tail wags the dog. In soccer, that model works, because the game is global and everywhere. In Union it doesn't, so the dog controls the tail and therefore their international game and club game coexist (the english premiership continued during their world cup...imagine the NRL/SL doing that????)....in league, we either need to wrestle control from the clubs or accept that we are a club sport with an international game that relies on immigration to fill squads from all but 5 countries (Eng/Au/NZ/PNG/Fra)

For those who missed the game, here are the highlights: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DdY1KeJ55d4 The PNG player who scored the brilliant try just before half time was Edwin Ipape, a 20 year old five eighth who is part of the Wynnum-Manly squad in the Intrust Queensland Cup. He looks like a great talent on the rise. Hopefully he will get a contract with an NRL club or a Super League club before too long.

For those who missed the game, here are the highlights: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DdY1KeJ55d4 The PNG player who scored the brilliant try just before half time was Edwin Ipape, a 20 year old five eighth who is part of the Wynnum-Manly squad in the Intrust Queensland Cup. He looks like a great talent on the rise. Hopefully he will get a contract with an NRL club or a Super League club before too long.

Quote ="JEAN CAPDOUZE"For those who missed the game, here are the highlights: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DdY1KeJ55d4'"

Quote ="JEAN CAPDOUZE"For those who missed the game, here are the highlights: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DdY1KeJ55d4'"