England unconvincing against Papua New Guinea
England avoided the embarrassment of picking up the wooden spoon in the Four Nations as they beat Papua New Guinea 36-10 on Saturday morning.
Harlequins stand-off Tony Clubb was the standout-performer, crossing over for four tries, three of which came in a dominant first-half performance where England led 24-0 at half-time. But they failed to build on their impressive start, gradually getting worse as the match wore on as Papua New Guinea, who had conceded 118 points in their matches against Australia and New Zealand, scored two tries of their own.
Coach Steve McNamara tried to put a positive spin on things in the aftermath, but it was clear for all to see that after their failings against Australia and New Zealand in this tournament England aren’t able to challenge the best in the world.
“In each game there have been signs of the potential we can do with a young side. They'll develop and grow," McNamara told the BBC. "The effort the group has put in over the tournament has been outstanding."
Despite England’s failings, it’s pretty safe to say the men in charge at the rugby league headquarters won’t react in the same way as their Papua New Guinea counterparts. Sports Minister Philemon Embel has called for the whole squad to be sacked after their three losses in the tournament.
"I feel that rugby league in PNG will die a natural death under the present leadership," Embel said in a statement.
"I cannot support the current rugby league administration and I am very disappointed that unnecessary changes were made against my concern and advice only weeks before the Four Nations."
In the other Four Nations game Australia came out on top in the rehearsal for next weekend’s final against New Zealand at Eden Park in Auckland. The final scoreline of 34-20 failed to do their dominance justice, and considering the Aussies were resting several big names, next weekend’s final could be a very one-sided affair.
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