Mitchell_Broncos
NRL Player
- Jun 21, 2016
- 1,705
- 1,053
Is anyone going to stay up this late and watch the game tonight onto tomorrow morning haha?
Organix
State of Origin Rep
Contributor
- Sep 19, 2012
- 6,394
- 8,427
Yeah he picked his moments to dummy and run quite well. Played his role. I noticed him whereas I didn't see much from anyone else. Cronk was ok and Merrin put on a good step to beat Madness. To be honest I was backing the Scots by the end. I had no passion for the Australian team.
Mitch06
NRL Player
- Jan 23, 2014
- 1,580
- 580
Mal seems to love his safe players. ONeil had no right to be there at all and you're right. I feel the only reason Chambers wasn't selected was his lack of games this season. Even Jennings would have been a far better option. It's hard to follow a team like this.
B
Broncs_Fan
NRL Player
- Jun 5, 2015
- 2,590
- 1,267
Chambers/O'Neill - much of a muchness in my opinion. Safe but unspectacular players.
I would have loved to see this backline for the 4 Nations:
1. Boyd
2. Radradra
3. Inglis
4. Leilua
5. Holmes
Instead we get Dugan/Ferguson. Sigh.
I would have loved to see this backline for the 4 Nations:
1. Boyd
2. Radradra
3. Inglis
4. Leilua
5. Holmes
Instead we get Dugan/Ferguson. Sigh.
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Mitchell_Broncos
NRL Player
- Jun 21, 2016
- 1,705
- 1,053
I stayed up to watch New Zealand vs England I'm regretting it now though it was a very boring first half the second half was better though.
New Zealand gave away quite a few penalties in the first half which was costly, Shaun Johnson was on fire when he was kicking on last and he forced lots of line drop outs he is a freaky kicker when he does those.
Shaun Johnson kicked the winning field goal.
New Zealand gave away quite a few penalties in the first half which was costly, Shaun Johnson was on fire when he was kicking on last and he forced lots of line drop outs he is a freaky kicker when he does those.
Shaun Johnson kicked the winning field goal.
tommy
International Rep
- Jun 5, 2015
- 12,285
- 13,219
NZ should have been penalised twice as much. Offside all night and slowing down the ruck by lying all over the bloke trying to play the ball. Was an ok game to watch though.
Horseheadsup
NRL Player
- Mar 21, 2016
- 2,670
- 1,365
Last night England reminded me of the Bulldogs minus the Morris Twins marched up the field then blew it.
Don't mind this Jermaine McGillvary.
NZ was definitely the better team but still not great. Second half woke me up.
Don't mind this Jermaine McGillvary.
NZ was definitely the better team but still not great. Second half woke me up.
CaptainHook
NRL Player
- Jun 17, 2013
- 2,990
- 1,303
When will WB realise that taking penalty goals are a joke? Honestly it's one part of the game I hope the NRL does change. Either make it one point or get rid of it completely.
Big Pete
International Captain
- Mar 12, 2008
- 31,686
- 24,507
It was a good win for New Zealand.
England played with plenty of spirit and won a lot of the 'critical' moments. To their credit, New Zealand maintained their composure allowing them to dominate possession and territory. Still a couple of areas to work on, but overall I was impressed with the way they managed the game.
It's clear we're in the early days of the Bennett regime. He doesn't have the best cattle available, so the structure of the team isn't where it ought to be. In saying that, they played with the same Bennett tenacity we've come to expect and their efforts to repel wave after wave of attack on their goal-line should be commended. In the end, they conceded three tries. One off a cruel intercept by Shaun Johnson, another from excellent support play from Rapana. The only try New Zealand scored from structured play can be put down to weight of possession as England gifted New Zealand with some fatigue errors. If Bennett can continue to get the same resolve out of England as he did, it will go a long way to their lofty World Cup ambitions.
It's easy to get lost in the wash-up, but the forward battle between both sides was the highlight of the game. England took the early ascedency, but when New Zealand injected the likes of Blair, Taupau and Ma'u they gave their side better production than the English forwards did. In fact, I'd go as far to say the English bench was disappointing with the Burgess twins coming up with key mistakes at a crucial time in the match. In 2014, it seemed like they both had the world at their feet but they haven't been able to address their weaknesses. Teams have figured out if you attack the ball or run a certain line at them, they'll struggle and will make a mistake in some fashion. To Tom's credit, he played better in the second half but it's an area Bennett will have to address. On the other side of the coin, Taumalolo and Bromwich were brilliant. Taumalolo in particular was my pick for MotM.
Another area is the centre-wing combinations. England created a couple of opportunities down both fringes, but neither of their centres were able to execute. Titans-bound Sarginson was the worst offender, forgoing one of the best finishers in Rugby League to meekly accept a tackle from Nightingale. Admittedly I've never been a fan of Sarginson's and feel he has too many weaknesses in his game to succeed at this level but he's got to improve in order to justify his position. There were a couple of other blown opportunities or break-downs in communication, at this stage it's to be expected and for England's sake, something they're able to work on.
For New Zealand, while the future looks bright in the halves, I struggle to see anyone at dummy half. Luke is an effective runner of the football, but his decision-making and discipline leaves a lot to be desired. They desperately need a dummy half, maybe not for this series, but certainly in 2017 when they're challenging for the World Cup.
All in all, a good contest and a promising first outing for Bennett's troupe. The key for them is building on what they learned from the contest and applying it. New Zealand would have put a lot of teams to the sword and while they have some glitches to sort out, shape as a major threat to the Kangaroo's ambitions.
England played with plenty of spirit and won a lot of the 'critical' moments. To their credit, New Zealand maintained their composure allowing them to dominate possession and territory. Still a couple of areas to work on, but overall I was impressed with the way they managed the game.
It's clear we're in the early days of the Bennett regime. He doesn't have the best cattle available, so the structure of the team isn't where it ought to be. In saying that, they played with the same Bennett tenacity we've come to expect and their efforts to repel wave after wave of attack on their goal-line should be commended. In the end, they conceded three tries. One off a cruel intercept by Shaun Johnson, another from excellent support play from Rapana. The only try New Zealand scored from structured play can be put down to weight of possession as England gifted New Zealand with some fatigue errors. If Bennett can continue to get the same resolve out of England as he did, it will go a long way to their lofty World Cup ambitions.
It's easy to get lost in the wash-up, but the forward battle between both sides was the highlight of the game. England took the early ascedency, but when New Zealand injected the likes of Blair, Taupau and Ma'u they gave their side better production than the English forwards did. In fact, I'd go as far to say the English bench was disappointing with the Burgess twins coming up with key mistakes at a crucial time in the match. In 2014, it seemed like they both had the world at their feet but they haven't been able to address their weaknesses. Teams have figured out if you attack the ball or run a certain line at them, they'll struggle and will make a mistake in some fashion. To Tom's credit, he played better in the second half but it's an area Bennett will have to address. On the other side of the coin, Taumalolo and Bromwich were brilliant. Taumalolo in particular was my pick for MotM.
Another area is the centre-wing combinations. England created a couple of opportunities down both fringes, but neither of their centres were able to execute. Titans-bound Sarginson was the worst offender, forgoing one of the best finishers in Rugby League to meekly accept a tackle from Nightingale. Admittedly I've never been a fan of Sarginson's and feel he has too many weaknesses in his game to succeed at this level but he's got to improve in order to justify his position. There were a couple of other blown opportunities or break-downs in communication, at this stage it's to be expected and for England's sake, something they're able to work on.
For New Zealand, while the future looks bright in the halves, I struggle to see anyone at dummy half. Luke is an effective runner of the football, but his decision-making and discipline leaves a lot to be desired. They desperately need a dummy half, maybe not for this series, but certainly in 2017 when they're challenging for the World Cup.
All in all, a good contest and a promising first outing for Bennett's troupe. The key for them is building on what they learned from the contest and applying it. New Zealand would have put a lot of teams to the sword and while they have some glitches to sort out, shape as a major threat to the Kangaroo's ambitions.
mitch222
State of Origin Captain
- Apr 4, 2014
- 8,317
- 7,935
My take on the kiwis/poms game
1. The English centres were terrible. They both fucked up deadest 4 pointers and their failure to draw and pass to the wingers was dreadful. Bennett will be hoping that he has a class centre in that squad somewhere. What he wouldn't give to have Jack Reed playing. Put it this way, if Reed plays that game, they win because he had the ability to draw and pass. That English forward pack did enough to lay a platform to win the game and they were let down badly by their backline.
2. Credit to NZ, they won when they shouldn't have. They were pretty flat the entire game but a couple of players came up with big plays to get them over the line. The Johnson intercept and Rapana outmuscling the fullback were class plays by classy players. In all due fairness to Rapana (it was a great run) Lomax should have had him covered easily. That defence was not good enough for international standards especially with the fullbacks we see these days.
3. Leuluai is an absolute passenger and Kidwell should give Martin a crack now. He takes no pressure what so ever off Johnson especially in the kicking department.
4. Kidwell needs to revamp the forward pack. Warea-Hargreaves was absolutely rubbish. I would drop him straight out of the team and start Blair up front. Taupau was excellent from the bench and that's where I would leave him. Also cant really see the need for Lewis Brown. He is pretty ordinary at best. Surely there is another utility in that squad somewhere.
5. If both teams play like that against the aussies, they will be flogged. They need a huge improvement if they are going to test them.
1. The English centres were terrible. They both fucked up deadest 4 pointers and their failure to draw and pass to the wingers was dreadful. Bennett will be hoping that he has a class centre in that squad somewhere. What he wouldn't give to have Jack Reed playing. Put it this way, if Reed plays that game, they win because he had the ability to draw and pass. That English forward pack did enough to lay a platform to win the game and they were let down badly by their backline.
2. Credit to NZ, they won when they shouldn't have. They were pretty flat the entire game but a couple of players came up with big plays to get them over the line. The Johnson intercept and Rapana outmuscling the fullback were class plays by classy players. In all due fairness to Rapana (it was a great run) Lomax should have had him covered easily. That defence was not good enough for international standards especially with the fullbacks we see these days.
3. Leuluai is an absolute passenger and Kidwell should give Martin a crack now. He takes no pressure what so ever off Johnson especially in the kicking department.
4. Kidwell needs to revamp the forward pack. Warea-Hargreaves was absolutely rubbish. I would drop him straight out of the team and start Blair up front. Taupau was excellent from the bench and that's where I would leave him. Also cant really see the need for Lewis Brown. He is pretty ordinary at best. Surely there is another utility in that squad somewhere.
5. If both teams play like that against the aussies, they will be flogged. They need a huge improvement if they are going to test them.
Horseheadsup
NRL Player
- Mar 21, 2016
- 2,670
- 1,365
James Graham's double movement.. lol. At least he made the effort.
Think the Burgess bro's are way overrated.
Think the Burgess bro's are way overrated.
Alec
International Rep
- Mar 4, 2008
- 19,317
- 12,336
There are too many hookers these days who think their shit doesn't stink. Isaac Luke is probably at the top of the list. We know all you offer is a running game, but pass the ball when there's a quick ply the ball too. That's where Shaun Johnson is at his best.
Foordy
International Captain
Contributor
- Mar 4, 2008
- 33,836
- 39,898
I just saw footage of the Johnson field goal ... and i reckon it missed
Did Johsnon's match winning field goal miss? - Rugby League Week
Did Johsnon's match winning field goal miss? - Rugby League Week
broncos4life
International Captain
Forum Staff
- Oct 5, 2011
- 25,505
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Yeah, there is no way that went through...
Sproj
Immortal
Senior Staff
- Sep 6, 2013
- 51,877
- 62,909
Sure looks like it
Unbreakable
International Rep
Contributor
- May 21, 2013
- 19,652
- 20,801
Breaking News: White ball blends in with white post and confuses fans around the world.
It went through lol, this game was in England, do you really think the fans behind the posts wouldn't have blown up if it missed.
It went through lol, this game was in England, do you really think the fans behind the posts wouldn't have blown up if it missed.
Super Freak
International Captain
Forum Staff
- Jan 25, 2014
- 41,393
- 30,609
It went through.
If you take a look at it frame by frame and see the frame right before it crosses the path of the goal post, you can see it went through.
If you take a look at it frame by frame and see the frame right before it crosses the path of the goal post, you can see it went through.
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mitch222
State of Origin Captain
- Apr 4, 2014
- 8,317
- 7,935
Yeah let alone the commentators who you would have heard whinge about it for the rest of the game and rest of the four nations
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