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Elliott Whitehead scored for England as they beat New Zealand in Denver in June.
Elliott Whitehead scored for England as they beat New Zealand in Denver in June. Photograph: Jack Dempsey/AP
Elliott Whitehead scored for England as they beat New Zealand in Denver in June. Photograph: Jack Dempsey/AP

The more England beat New Zealand, the less they fear NRL players

This article is more than 5 years old

England have overcome their inferiority complex about the NRL. Their next task is to demolish Australia’s unbeatable aura

By Gavin Willacy for No Helmets Required

Having won their last two games against New Zealand, England should have no inferiority complex before their meeting an Anfield on Sunday. But they still go into the Test wary of the Kiwis. Shaun Johnson, Dallin Watene-Zelezniak, Jared Waerea-Hargreaves, Jordan Rapana, Jesse Bromwich and Kevin Proctor all have big reputations, and English fans might assume their boys from Dewsbury and Bradford, Wigan and Widnes will not be able to match these NRL superstars.

That is nonsense according to England and Canberra Raiders second-rower Elliott Whitehead. Having been voted man of the match in England’s 18-16 victory over New Zealand at Hull on Saturday, Whitehead insisted his teammates from the Super League have nothing to fear.

Indeed, he believes they could all follow him, his Canberra teammate Josh Hodgson and the Burgess brothers to the toughest league in the world. “The Kiwis play NRL week-in, week-out but the players in the England squad who play in Super League are more than capable of playing over there,” he said. “They could all cope in the NRL, I’m 100% sure. Anyone could go over there and play.”

Martin Taupau can vouch for the NRL quality of Luke Thompson’s explosive runs. The Kiwi hardman’s braids were jolted back when hit by the ginger-bearded Saints express engine. England boss Wayne Bennett was lost for words about the rookie Thompson’s dynamite impact off the bench. “We were missing some top guys and Sean [O’Loughlin] goes off, but when someone comes on like he did and plays a lot of minutes… phew!”

Bennett was also blown away by the adventurous kick returns, darting bursts and clever off-loads of winger Tommy Makinson. “He was outstanding; I couldn’t believe what he did.” Like Thompson and Makinson, try-scoring international newcomers Jake Connor and Oliver Gildart looked capable of matching the best in the business on their day. No doubt they are all on NRL clubs’ shopping lists.

Bennett said “we don’t see enough of” the sort of thrilling try with which Gildart crowned his debut. Viewed from the frigid press seats at the back of the top tier, the Wigan centre’s outstanding immediate footwork upon receiving the ball to avoid Ken Maumalo suggested he could play tag in a cream Kingston Communications phonebox.

Bennett’s England set-up has dismantled the NRL superiority factor. The next step will be to demolish Australia’s unbeatable aura, something New Zealand have managed. With little competition for places at their Super League clubs, England’s players have previously found it hard to step up to match the NRL’s best on a weekly basis. Spells in the NRL seem to have banished that issue. Nuggety all-action hero John Bateman will become the 11th member of England’s player pool to test themselves in the NRL when he joins Whitehead and Hodgson in Canberra next season.

The consistency required to retain a place in an NRL XIII is key. Commit daft errors – as England did twice in as many minutes against New Zealand, leading to Watene-Zelezniak putting the Kiwis ahead – and there is always someone ready to take your place.

There appear to be four nations now nudging elbows as they dine at rugby league’s top table. England beat New Zealand by two points on Saturday a fortnight after New Zealand had beaten Australia by the same margin. And that’s the Australia team who won the World Cup last year by beating England – who reached the final with a two-point victory over Tonga, who made it to the semi-finals by beating New Zealand.

Foreign quota

Oliver Gildart takes on New Zealand in Hull. Photograph: Richard Long/News Images/Rex/Shutterstock

I asked England boss Wayne Bennett about Gildart not even being in his original squad, only to be called up from the Knights when Sam Burgess pulled out. “After seeing the way he played in the last month, I said ‘Let’s grab him now’,” explained Bennett. “He’s only 21 years old so he has a long future with us.”

Never mind the Knights; Gildart could have been playing for Italy instead of England. The Azzurri, who unsuccessfully tried to recruit Gildart last year for the World Cup, beat Niue 36-32 on Saturday in Sydney, Townsville forward Brenden Santi scoring the winner in the last minute.

James Tedesco’s big brother Matthew made his Italy debut, while Niue were led by a former London Broncos and Barrow duo: captain Zab Lucky Luisi and coach Pat Weisner.

Clubcall: Sydney Roosters

Joseph Manu in action against Australia earlier this month. Photograph: Fiona Goodall/AFP/Getty Images

Four years ago Joseph Manu was one of the standout players at the inaugural Commonwealth Championships in Cumbernauld, ripping it up and earning the nickname “Sonny Bill” from the victorious Papua New Guinea team. However, he did it wearing the green and gold of Australia. As NSW Under-18 champions, his club side Sydney Roosters were representing Australia. Hamilton-born Manu told me then his dream was to play for the Kiwis. He has now achieved that after a sensational NRL-winning season. Let’s hope we see Manu and his Roosters Kiwi mates – the firebrand Jared Waerea-Hargreaves and Isaac Liu – back here for the World Club Challenge against Wigan in February.

Goal-line-drop-out

The 17,649 attendance in Hull led to serious wailing. One RFL employee admitted they had not put enough into marketing the first Test – as was the case with the pathetic turnout for Australia v Scotland across the River Hull two years ago.

There were more Americans in Denver in June and more than twice as many at London’s Olympic Stadium in 2015 to watch the same fixture. Yes, the hideous lunchtime weather was reminiscent of the 2000 World Cup, eliminating any potential walk-ups but this was the smallest crowd at an England v New Zealand game for 11 years.

On the other hand, the Hull attendance was about par for an England v New Zealand Test. In fact, there was no crowd as big as last Saturday’s for any Kiwi game on these shores between 1961 and 1985. RFL boss Ralph Rimmer expects Anfield to be only half-full on Sunday but perhaps that is no surprise. Other than cup finals, since 1951 only four of England’s home matches against New Zealand have drawn more than 25,000 fans.

Fifth and last

Add Scotland to the list of teams who have fielded fewer than 17 players this season. An injury epidemic left the Bravehearts with just 16 when they lost Lewis Tierney in the warm-up in Ireland, the Catalans star taking the number of unavailable Scots well into the twenties.

Ireland’s dozen full-timers were too strong for Scotland’s four, winning 36-10. While Newcastle (Tyne and Wear) recruit Liam Finn was majestic for the Wolfhounds, Newcastle (New South Wales)-based second-rower Nick Glohe was considered Scotland’s best on his try-scoring debut.

In the other European Championship opener, Tony Gigot was superb as France swatted away understrength Wales, 54-18. Toulouse forward Rhys Curran – surely the first former Eltham College pupil to play international rugby league – scored on his France debut.

Whoever loses between Scotland and Wales in Galashiels on Friday faces another round of qualifiers next year, while the winners of Ireland v France in Santry on Saturday will secure a place at the 2021 World Cup.

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