4 Nations: England vs Australian Kangaroos

[DIEHARD]

England vs Australian Kangaroos

[DIEHARD]

Big game this weekend for Australia and England. It's on TV on NINE from 12:15am Sunday.

[DIEHARD]

Australian Kangaroos

Billy Slater, Brett Morris, Greg Inglis, Justin Hodges, Jarryd Hayne, Darren Lockyer (capt), Johnathan Thurston, Petero Civoniceva, Cameron Smith, Ben Hannant, Anthony Watmough, Paul Gallen, Nathan Hindmarsh.

Interchange: Robbie Farah, Brett White, Luke Lewis, David Shillington, Trent Waterhouse, Kurt Gidley (two to be omitted).

[DIEHARD]

I can't believe Gallen got in... let alone promoted to the starting team!

Put Sam back in and drop Farah or Waterhouse.

I think England are a real chance on Sunday morning (12:15am)

[DIEHARD]

SLATER ADMITS TO KNOWING LITTLE ABOUT ENGLAND

With days to go until England meet Australia in the Gillette Four Nations, full-back Billy Slater has admitted that he knows very little about Tony Smith's side.

The 26 year old Melbourne Storm player played a starring role in Australia's 52-4 World Cup victory over England last year but is unsure of what to expect at the DW Stadium, Wigan on Saturday.

Speaking to the Gillette Four Nations website Slater said: "To be honest I don't know a lot about the whole side. We don't watch too much Super League over in Australia in the same way you probably don't get too much of the NRL over here.

"We don't know too much about the young fellas but I'm sure they're going to bring enthusiasm to the side. I watched a little of the French game and hopefully we can take a little bit out of that and rely on our coaching staff to do a little of our homework for us.

"It's not much about focussing on the opposition but we have to be aware what their strengths and weaknesses are. But, at same time, we need to get our own game right. We know if we can get our own game right and play the way we can play it's all we have to worry about."

Slater will make his eighth appearance for the Kangaroos against England, and despite many describing Saturday's draw with New Zealand as the best game ever to be played in the UK, the 2008 RLIF International Player of the Year expects his side to show a big improvement in Wigan.

"We certainly didn't play the way we wanted to against New Zealand," said Slater. "I think most of the Aussie boys will be disappointed with their game. I think we can improve a lot and we're going to have to if we want to make the final.

"We need to hold on to the ball more, and the more we do that the more ball our backs will get. We've got take it upon ourselves to go and get the ball and get involved. We probably didn't do that as backs at the weekend, but the good thing about it is we've got this Saturday to turn it around. It's pretty much a must win game for us so it's pretty important.

"England are going to improve a lot as well. Everyone was blowing the cobwebs out with the first round and we were pretty lucky to get away with a draw in the end. The ball's in our hands now and we've got a chance to put a stamp on this competition and the Poms at Wigan are going to be tough. It's their home ground and I think it will be a full house and a good atmosphere."

Due to the planned postal strikes this week all tickets purchased will not be posted out and will instead be available for collection from the DW Stadium ticket office on Saturday.

To purchase tickets, please call 0844 856 11 13 or visit http://www.rugbyleaguetickets.co.uk.

For the latest information on the Gillette Four Nations, please visit http://www.gillette4nations.co.uk.

http://www.gillette4nations.co.uk

[Capital_Shark]

I can't believe Gallen got in... let alone promoted to the starting team!

2nd best backrower behind Watmough from the NZ game - no surprises at all. A starting backrow of Gallen, Watmough and Hindmarsh is just common football sense.

No matter how much Tim and Robbie are mates, surely there is no chance of us seeing Farah after Smith's performance against NZ - not to mention the obvious Queensland connection he shares with the halves, fullback and possibly our most dangerous player, Greg Inglis.

From that extended bench I'd chop it down to White, Waterhouse, Shillington and Gidley.

I don't give the Poms much of a chance but if Australia don't improve much on last weekend they won't blow the Poms away either. Australia's main advantage over every other team is its amount of quality kicking options and that was not on display against NZ. If just one of our kickers gets the ball on a string Australia win. If they all find their groove and the backline clicks then it'll be bloodshed.

[TITAN PETE]

I can't believe Gallen got in... let alone promoted to the starting team!

Put Sam back in and drop Farah or Waterhouse.

I think England are a real chance on Sunday morning (12:15am)

I think u are under selling Gallen (maybe a Blue thing) , he has to play against the Poms as i'm sure someone will start throwing them during the game &
he's the guy u want by your side when the Shyte hits the fan.

I would drop either Shillington or White & Gidley from the bench as i think Lewis offers more versatility from the bench than Gids & i don't understand why u would take 3 Fullbacks into a 17 man squad

I can't wait for kick off & the only downside to the game is the Commentary , why do they always have to spell out T R Y ?

[GCT_89]

Gallen is a must for this team, Diehard's just cut, his QLD thaiday got dropped.....lol

nah but in all seriousness, England will be coming into this game to garauntee themselves a spot in the final (because of the draw between AUS & Nzl, a win over us will put them straight into the final no matter what other results are). we'll need to be on our game and make sure we dont get embarressed like we have been in the past....

ill be going out sat night, will have to take a pit stop somewhere to watch the game....

[DIEHARD]

Gallen is a must for this team, Diehard's just cut, his QLD thaiday got dropped.....lol....

LOL guys guys we are allies this time of year, we are allies.

You are right Pete, England are quaranteed to put on a stink!

[DIEHARD]

Playmakers look for Maroon inspiration

In the Maroon of Queensland they operate like clockwork, but Kangaroos hooker Cameron Smith admits something went a cropper against New Zealand with Australia's playmaking triumvirate.

Smith along with halfback Johnathan Thurston and skipper Darren Lockyer have been the driving force behind Queensland unparalleled run of four straight State of Origin series wins - a pillar of consistency against a helpless NSW outfit.

But against New Zealand in last week's Four Nations opener, the trio played like they had just met each other for the first time, the normally well-oiled Australian machine grinding to halt as a result.

"We had a lot of chances to get over the line but we were just pretty average with the footy," Smith said.

"The dynamics are different in this side to the Origin side and we play a different style of football than what we do with Queensland.

"There needs to be a little adjusting with us three in this team compared to what we do in Origin.

"It's almost like clockwork now with Queensland when we get into camp - we know the way we want to play whereas it's a bit different to the way Tim (Australian coach Tim Sheens) wants us to play.

"Obviously we didn't adjust to that well enough against New Zealand."

Lockyer could see the struggles, but felt helpless to do anything about it on the field.

He now hopes a week of training and some heart-to-hearts have helped rectify the problem ahead of Saturday's clash with England in Wigan.

"It was frustrating to be honest," Lockyer said.

"The communication just wasn't there.

"JT, me and Smithy sat down after the game and had a chat about it and basically simplified things a bit."

The Australians were given the day off on Thursday before moving camp to Wigan on Friday morning.

There they will have a training run at DW Stadium, with Sheens indicating he would meet with referee Steve Ganson to iron out a few concerns over interpretations ahead of Saturday's match.

Source :http://www.nrl.com

[DIEHARD]

Kangaroos consider conspiracy theories

Australia are fearing an ambush from their Four Nations rivals with winger Jarryd Hayne claiming England could deliberately lose to New Zealand next weekend if it meant avoiding the Kangaroos in the Elland Road final.

While Australia still have their destiny in their own hands with wins in their next two matches assuring them of a berth in the final, Hayne lit the fuse for what promises to be a fiery clash with England on Saturday by suggesting they throw their last preliminary game against the Kiwis.

Should the Kangaroos lose to England in Wigan on Saturday, New Zealand would qualify for a November 14 final against the host nation with wins over France in Toulouse and England next weekend.

"It is a must-win," Hayne said.

"If we lose this, I'm sure the Poms aren't going to beat the Kiwis so they can play us in the final.

"They're going to want to be beaten by the Kiwis so they can play them the week after.

"It's a must-win. We lose this game we're out of the final."

The suggestion was sternly rebutted by the England camp.

Asked whether it was insult to intimate his side would deliberately lose a Test match, veteran prop Adrian Morley said:

"Yeah, I think so.

"Every Test match I can guarantee we're going to play for the win. I think it's being a little bit cynical.

"I can guarantee we don't go in with that mentality. I don't know where he's coming from there."

With a win over Australia guaranteeing England a spot in the final, it could well be that coach Tony Smith opts to play a weakened side against the Kiwis to guard against injuries and ensure each member of his squad has had a run before the final.

Of course Australia can quash all the conspiracy theories with a victory on Saturday, with that result and a likely win over underdogs France in their last game setting up a virtual semi-final between England and New Zealand in Huddersfield on Saturday week.

While much of Australia's build-up to this week's game has centred on the changes made to the forward pack, the backs haven't escaped unscathed from the 20-all draw with the Kiwis.

Coach Tim Sheens has revealed he has come up with an altered gameplan to get the likes of Hayne and fullback Billy Slater more involved against the English, with the video review of the Kiwi game not making for pleasant viewing.

"It went for a long time because we did a lot of bad things," Hayne said.

"The backs had to stay behind and do a little bit extra. We lacked in attack and it's something everyone's going to be talking about."

Asked about his limited opportunities on the wing, Hayne said:

"I don't think anyone would be happy to not get the ball.

"We haven't played together for a while and we were just a bit rusty.

"What we'll do is what he (Sheens) sees fit.

"The main thing was our defence - that's our main worry, stopping them.

"Our attack will come the more we play together."

Source: http://www.nrl.com

[DIEHARD]

England names IMO the best team they could. Glad to see McGuire and Tomkins at half.

England team to play Australia in the Gillette Four Nations at Wigan on Saturday:

S Briscoe (Hull KR); T Briscoe (Hull FC), Smith (Leeds), Shenton (Castleford), Hall (Leeds); McGuire (Leeds), Tomkins (Wigan); Morley (Warrington), Roby (St Helens), Graham (St Helens), Ellis (Wests Tigers), Pea**** (Leeds, capt), Sinfield (Leeds).

Replacements: Burgess (Bradford), Crabtree (Huddersfield), Eastmond (St Helens), Westwood (Warrington).

[Chaos]

I missed the Aus vs Kiwi match but was told the Kiwis should have won.

After reading a few comments by Smith and seeing Farra in the possible line up...I'm just wondering whether Smith and Sheens aren't gelling too well.

Maybe they have different views on the game or maybe Sheens would prefer to coach Farra in a test.

I'd rather hear Sheens and Smith have a talk about the game...instead of Thurston, Lockyer and Smith.

[Capital_Shark]

10 mins Brad!

..................

[~lee~]

not a good start!