England: It all went wrong in the Rugby League World Cup semi-final – and Samoa can shock Australia 

There’s no sugarcoating it, I was extremely disappointed with England’s performance against Samoa last Saturday.

Across the park, this England side is the strongest it has been for a long time. You simply can’t hide from the fact that they have missed a wonderful opportunity at a home World Cup, so it is a massive failing. 

In terms of where it went wrong for England, there are a number of things you can point to. 

First and foremost, I have the utmost respect for anybody who pulls the England jersey on, but Leeds Rhinos’ Kruise Leeming had to play over Michael McIlorum against Samoa. 

McIlorum has been brilliant and fantastic in his duties throughout his England career, but sometimes in life when sport moves on, the team has to move on as well and you have to pick your best players.

There’s no sugarcoating it, England were extremely disappointing against Samoa last weekend

And there’s no question about it, Kruise Leeming should have started at hooker on Saturday. He’s the best player in his position at No 9. He’s a kick threat, he’s a run threat, he is so dangerous and dynamic off the mark. For me, there is no one else like him.

England badly missed the threat he offers and were blunted by it. But no one single change in personnel would have affected the outcome at the Emirates. Tactically, they were outdone. 

They knew that they were a fitter and stronger team than Samoa, we all saw it in Newcastle on the opening game, so in that situation you must make sure that the ball is kept in play at all times, maintain a high pace, and ultimately your superior fitness levels will have a big impact.

They got their selections wrong and were poor all over the park, failing to complete the basics

Samoa were very effective in chopping up the game and it paid dividends in the second half

But England let the Samoans control the tempo of the game. The ball was out of play too many times, particularly in that second half. 

It was stop-start and it played right into Samoa’s hands, because it gave the heavyweight pack a break, a chance for them to catch their breath, and keep going. England should never have allowed them to do that. 

Most disappointingly, England were well below the standard expected when executing the basics. I’ve said this for weeks, but the difference between a team winning the World Cup and failing is their ability to do the fundamentals on a consistent basis across the full 80 minutes.

For me, it’s not a question of complacency or arrogance in the camp. I know Shaun Wane wouldn’t tolerate that. They just looked tired and fatigued, and were beaten in all facets of the game. They’ll be dirty with themselves about their performance.

Shaun Wane will see this as an opportunity missed and will be frustrated with his side

Looking back, Shaun will obviously have to reflect on his own performance – every coach does that. Is there anything he could have altered or changed? 

Of course, it won’t make a difference to public opinion: it’s a failure and they should have got to the final. Put simply, there should not have been any chance for Samoa to overturn a 60-point deficit in a matter of weeks. I imagine the inquest will last quite some time.

As for Samoa, I have to give them full credit for executing their game plan to shock us all, but I think it will be very hard for them to do it again on Saturday against this Australia side.

The standard of that semi-final at Headingly was so high, it was almost faultless from both New Zealand and Australia and it all comes from the incredible level of performance in the NRL. 

As for Samoa, there are three key things they need to do the impossible and beat Australia

I would implore the Super League to look at the standards set in that league and try to at least match it, if not better it, to help progress the English game. Both sides went toe-to-toe and it was absolutely magnificent.

But these Aussies are just so regimented. Last week, I described them as robots and although they were at points battered and bruised by a determined Kiwis side, the core values that have defined them for so many years – discipline and doing the simple things well – got them over the line.

So, how do you beat a side that are just so good at everything? Samoa need three things to fall in their favour.

First, they need Australia to have a terrible game – easier said than done! Next, they need to repeat what they did against England and slow the game right down. Finally, if those two factors come to pass, each and every one of those Samoans need to play the game of their lives to do the impossible and win at Old Trafford. 

They’ll be praying for Australia to have a terrible day at the office at Old Trafford on Saturday

It wasn’t England’s year, but I’m incredibly confident about the future of rugby league thanks to the support from The National Lottery players

Look, it wasn’t England’s time this year, but there are reasons to be cheerful for the future. In the short term, I’d implore any young English player – male or female – to go and play in Australia if the opportunity arises. 

When I went, it really drilled into me the values that take you to the very top of the game – which is what we’re seeing with this Australian team now.

But beyond that, the foundations put in place by The National Lottery to help develop our game is fantastic and makes the future look very promising indeed. In truth, we are indebted to them. 

National Lottery players are putting £9.3million into rugby league over the next five years and they got the women’s game back up and running during the pandemic when its future looked bleak. There may not have been a women’s World Cup without their backing so they got us out of the jam completely.

We’d all love for England to win a World Cup in the future, whether it be the men, women, or wheelchair team, and there is no doubt in my mind that the support from The National Lottery will be vital in helping us become the force we all want to see. 

The National Lottery have provided financial support to clubs & communities across England through the RLWC2021 CreatedBy Grants Programme, contributing over £750,000. 

Thanks to National Lottery players, over £9.3million of support has been given to aid the development of Rugby League between 2022-2027. 

This includes funding for the Women’s & Girls’ game during the pandemic which allowed the Women’s Super League to recommence and as an Official Partner of the Rugby League World Cup 2021.