By DANNY LOCKWOOD
IT’s one of the most anticipated debuts in British rugby league. Not since Wally Lewis arrived at Wakefield Trinity with a £1,000-a-match bullseye painted on his chin has a visiting Aussie been eagerly awaited.
I don’t think Wayne Bennett‘s knees will be tested much this autumn, nor his tackling technique – he can usually subdue players with just a steely glare – but on Saturday, October 22 in Avignon, we will get an insight into the way the great man’s mind works.
Switching England’s one Four Nations warm-up match to the south of France will hopefully encourage our old frog-eating friends to put up
a sterner opposition than last year’s embarrassing capitulation at the Leigh Sports Village.
Fingers crossed and I’ll be there, because i suspect this will be an England team unlike none before.
If you’ve ever seen old fashioned Barbarian rugby (yes, I know it’s t‘other code) the players often wear their club socks. If Wayne Bennett’s first England team were to follow that fashion. I suspect quite a few fans might not be able to identity the players by socks alone.
Do you know what the Canberra Raiders’ look like? Gold Coast Titans or Newcastle Knights?
I’m assuming anyone with a passing knowledge of the NRL would recognise the garish green and red of the South Sydney Rabbitohs, the
maroon and gold of Brisbane, blue and white of Canterbury or the red and white of St George. I’ll be mightily surprised if we don’t see players from all of those clubs.
We can now rule out the likelihood of the Morris twins being allowed to change affiliation, which will be a relief to traditionalists, although probably a blow to Bennett whose selection problems start and finish between numbers 2 and 7.
The improved late season form of Kallum Watkins notwithstanding, England have problems and at the risk of inducing a seizure in the breast of Garry Schofield, I wonder if anyone’s thought of asking his Rhinos mucker Joel Moon if he fancies invoking the residency qualification rule?
Even with the impending RLIF “fine-tuning” of qualifications, Moon ticks the box and there are still question marks over Broncos centre and long-time England absentee Jack Reed. Moon wouldn’t be my preferred option, but I suspect that where Mr Bennett is concerned, rules
are rules and either we want to win a bloody international tournament after 40-odd years or we don’t.
If we we’re picking an England 17 on form, the biggest name in the British game would struggle for inclusion, as would his “little” brothers. Sam Burgess has had an awful campaign, although he could not have
given an ounce more in the Bunnies’ latest defeat, a 15-14 heartbreaker at Melbourne.
At times though, the harder Sam’s tried the more mistakes he’s made and penalties he’s given away during a nine-game losing streak.
Their 54-4 home defeat by Canberra last week was one of the very few occasions in the NRL that I’ve witnessed a team simply give up.
Amateurish, embarrassing, and coach Michael Maguire has few of the excuses that Brian McDermott could fall back on during the 2016 Leeds
Rhinos woes.
Maguire chose to break the bank in order to bring Sam back from Union and threw some very good players overboard in order to facilitate it. I don’t know how much of a factor that was in their current demise, but this side is a million miles off the 2014 champions.
That notwithstanding, expect big Sam to still be the first name on Bennett’s team sheet. He would be for me, too, because redemption is a big motivation for professional athletes and Sam has points to prove back home.
Another nailed-on Bennett selection will be Gareth Widdop who, like Sam, has had a distinctly underwhehning season after being given the captaincy of the St George Illawarra Dragons.
At times he has also – if it’s possible – tried too hard. From what I’ve seen both the Dragons and Widdop have been lumbered with a big name (and salary) alongside the Englishman in Benji Marshall. The former Kiwi superstar has looked like he’s stealing money at times.
If playing in the NRL trumps being on form in Super League, what can we expect to see from the wily Bennett in Avignon?
I think there are only a handful of places up for grabs and I think the rump of the team will definitely come over on the plane from Oz.
Elliott Whitehead and Josh Hodgson are among the very best in their positions in the NRL – Hodgson was outstanding when the Raiders ended Cronulla’s long unbeaten streak at the weekend. Pencil them in, James Graham ditto, and the Titans’ Chris McQueen, a player with a far better pedigree than Wests’ Chris Heighington when Steve McNamara picked him.
The Morris twins might be gone but I still expect Trent Hodkinson, who has toiled away in a well-beaten Newcastle Knights side, to partner Widdop in the halves at the expense of Marc Sneyd, Luke Gale or Matty Smith.
With Joe Burgess now playing regularly on the wing for Souths it wouldn’t be beyond the realms of possibility for the returning Wiganer to add NRL insult to SL injury. It all depends on Bennett’s mindset.
Given that the France match will be a friendly, we can expect an expanded bench of probably 10 players.
I’d expect Bennett to run Sneyd or Gale for a half with Widdop, give Ben Currie a go in the centres possibly and include Sean O’Loughlin and maybe James Roby for a bit of experience and continuity.
The bolters you would throw into the mix on current form would include Ryan Atkins, while Jermaine McGillvary would be really unlucky to pay the price of Huddersfield’s lousy year.
Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook has been terrific in the St Helens resurgence, as has been Jordan Turner.
Ben Currie gives great utility value on the left side as does Stefan Ratchford in the backs. Hull’s Scott Taylor could be unlucky in the number of quality props about, one of whom Alex Walmsley at Saints has finally rediscovered last year’s form at just the right time.
Lots to think about then, the key factor being Wayne Bennett’s philosophy. Just for a bit of fun, here’s a team he could feasibly select.
Zak Hardaker (Penrith); Greg Eden (Brisbane), Jack Reed (Brisbane), Elliott Whitehead (Penrith), Joe Burgess (Souths); Gareth Widdop (St George) Trent Hodkinson (Newcastle); George Burgess (Souths), Josh Hodgson (Penrith), James Graham (c) (Canterbury), Mike Cooper (St George), Chris McQueen (Titans), Sam Burgess (Souths).
And my starting 13? Samkins, McGilvary, Watkins, Reed, Manfredi; Widdop. Gale; Hill, Hodgson, Graham, Whitehead, Ellis, S. Burgess.
The wingers are a bit of a problem because both play right side for their club and although Gareth Ellis is “retired” from international rugby, given the form he’s been in I’d have a quiet word if I was coach.
