To be fair I think both Pryce and Wingnut helped Smith out with their performances over the course of the season.

Briscoe
Fox
Eastmond
Smith
Hall
McGuire
Tomkins
Morley
Moore
Graham
Peacock
Ellis
O'Loughlin

Carvell
Burgess
Crabtree
Roby

After reading that squad list it should be renamed the 3 Nations coz we haven't got a snowballs chance in hell of winning it!!!!!!!!!

Niether have France, lets just play a one off game Aus V's Kiwis!!



Guess you are not a big fan of having an International game then!???

Its not a terrible squad given the players he has available to him.

Bridge is the only one in there that I think theres got to be someone better that could have been picked. It is good to see that Smith has given the likes of Eastmond, Tomkins, Shenton and Myler a chance.

Wellens is past it.
Pryce hasnt played well enough of late to be involved
JJB - Is no better than Locky, Burgess or Ellis.
Burrow - Is a suprise but is he really that good, I would rather see Myler, Tomkins or Eastmond get a go.

It is not a shockingly bad squad its good to see he is not afraid to drop the big names and try something different.

We're very poor in the centres.

If we're only poor in the centres it will be a massive improvement on the World Cup.

Would have like to see Owen from cas in the squad...really impressed with him everytime i see him.

Yeah but who would you pick? Gleeson doesnt deserve to be there. Seniors past it. Atkins is injured.

It would be good if we give Shenton the experience, play Eastmond at centre against France and then go with Sykes against the better sides for his size.

Thats not what i meant, the squad announced, IMO, isn't a world beater. It has already been stated that some players have been left out and other included, when they shouldn't have been. But who am I to judge our national coach. Then again I firmly believe that a club coach shouldn't be the national coach!

Tend to agree.

At least he is trying differant players!

Who do you think should have been picked that is not in the squad?

Please no!!

with that squad we will finish bottom im afraid

Not a chance of us finishing bottom. Celtic would give France a game.

Behave yourself.

that looks like a rubbish squad to me

although no matter who he'd picked i cant imagine it would look all that much better with the players available...



i am dissapointed to see burrows miss out though

We will get raped.

Spot on, we aren't blessed with talent at centre at all at the moment. So we will have to go with what we have got. Bridge has actually been one of our most consistant performers this year, although i would select Smith and Shenton ahead of him.

Its good and fresh to have the likes Tomkins, Eastmond and Myler in. It will further to develop them, with one eye on the World Cup in 2012.

Oh, for some good outside backs...

Apart from Burrows, I'm struggling to come up with anyone good enough, which is the main problem as far as i can see, we just don't have the strength in depth as the aussies!

Brough over Myler any day of the week.

Guess one of either Sinfield or Eastmond have to play now as we have zero other goal kicking options

Which again highlights the problems we have. Although Sinfield has/is without doubt been a great player at club level but he has exactly shone on the international stage! As for Eastmond he is a great prospect for the future I'm not too sure he's ready for this challenge just yet, having said that he may prove me wrong ( and as far as England are concerned - I hope he does ).

What is the England team coming to when players are picked on kicking ability rather than anything else?

International RL is an absolute joke.

Easy tiger. Is it a fact that they've been picked on kicking ability? N0.
It's just the opinion of someone on an internet forum.
It isn't international rugby league that's the joke, it's some of the people who claim to be rugby league fans.

Wilkins and westwood are two 100% players but ultimately not good enough players who shouldn't get near the international squad.

We have an almost decent pack especially in the props (none anywhere as good as Whatmough (sp?) though, some new exciting (but ultimately inexperienced) half-backs but a distinct lack of quality in the backs. However in Hall and Shenton we have a definate improvement over Calderwood and Sykes from the world cup.

It really depends on what game we try and play and how the games are reff'd as to whether we are blown away or are at least competetive.

At least we have had a season where the players are not just scooting at almost every play the ball, so we have a little more experience in playing 'proper' rugby.
That said - it does show our limitations at 9 now - Roby is nowhere near the superstar he was initially hyped as - and is still living off the reputation of saint's broken field, scooting style of play. He doesn't have a proper no 9's distribution skills IMO. Much rather have seen Disco in at 9 with Moore as replacement.

Pryce has also been seen as not a international no 6 which has to be a good thing - I do think he would still make a very good full back though.....