Re: Why were Aussie missing so many players ? : Thu Oct 30, 2014 12:26 pm  

PopTart wrote:

I really hope England win, for both reasons of our success and their failure but I worry that too many people are calling them weak when in reality, apart from the back row players playing in the front row, we'd happily have them playing for us.

Inglis, Cronk, Smith in any team is capable of winning.

Totally agree with you PT. Australia and weak don't go together.

It's quite incredible that our "best" team can only just squeak past a second tier international team (they had to qualify for the 4N) and yet folk are claiming that the Aussies are weak.
Although, like most, I would love it if we smashed the Aussies, it is not going to happen.

IF all of the 50/50's go our way and we get some luck, we may just scrape a win BUT, even an understrength Aussie team is capable of comfortably beating us.
The Aussies are 7/2 on, with the bookies and we are getting 10 points start on the handicap coupon.

Re: Why were Aussie missing so many players ? : Thu Oct 30, 2014 12:41 pm  

Aus missing some first choice players? Well tough titty.

How many times over the years have we been missing players for whatever reason and it has been held up that we have no strength in depth because those who come in are 'weaker' than those they replace? We are told over and over again how Aus could put out a 2nd, 3rd or even 4th team capable of beating us (and how in the NRL they have the worlds best players in just about every position many times over) yet they are missing a few and they are weak?

Don't buy it, we win and it's on merit and we are better than them at this point in time. Come on lads - we've waited a long time for this!

Re: Why were Aussie missing so many players ? : Thu Oct 30, 2014 5:15 pm  

PopTart wrote:

I really hope England win, for both reasons of our success and their failure but I worry that too many people are calling them weak when in reality, apart from the back row players playing in the front row, we'd happily have them playing for us.

Inglis, Cronk, Smith in any team is capable of winning.

Tbh most of the people I've spoken to, it's been mostly about how Aus may lack a bit of power in their forwards down the middle and it's an area of the game we may be able to exploit. I can't see any reasonable England RL fan thinking this is a given or a weak side.

Aus will almost certainly up their game from their last and so will we, I hope. I agree they've still got some awesome players in their line up but conversely if we play to our potential I reckon we'll beat them. Then there's the flip side, we've got a crap coach.

Like Tommy says above how many times have they told us they could put 3 sides out that can beat us. They're missing a handful of players this Test and we're missing a few, so we'll see how good their depth really is.