England heroic but plan needed to bridge gap with Australia
moncler outlet jackets Jon Wells assesses England’s World Cup final, and looks at what needs to be done to bridge the gap with Australia. moncler outlet jackets
moncler outlet uk The moncler sale only place to start is in the 64th minute. A sweeping break by Kallum Watkins down the right flank during England’s most promising period of the game split open the Australian moncler sale outlet defence and for a brief moment, with Whitehead in the clear on the inside, it looked like England were about to draw level. moncler outlet uk
moncler outlet sale But to reduce an epic World Cup final to the outstretched left arm of Josh Dugan which clipped the ankle of Watkins and knocked the momentum and stride of the centre at the crucial moment would be to ignore the handful of buy moncler jackets other cheap moncler sale opportunities that England had to score points, or at least apply further pressure to an increasingly fatigued Australian defence. moncler outlet sale
Josh Dugan’s outstretched left hand may have been all that stopped England from drawing level with their hosts
moncler jackets outlet In truth, this was the defining moment of the final, and Josh Dugan should be applauded for this effort among many sublime involvements from the Australian right centre. Defining moment? Yes. The reason England lost? No. moncler jackets outlet
moncler sale outlet England’s execution in the final third of the field cost them the final. Back to that later then. moncler sale outlet
cheap moncler coats In the meantime, though, let’s remember the heroic efforts by England in what was a match of gladiatorial proportions. cheap moncler coats
cheap moncler jackets sale The 2017 Australian team was special; littered with stars and sprinkled with legends. Billy Slater, Cooper Cronk moncler outlet online and the mercurial, unflappable, durable Cameron Smith are a moncler outlet triumvirate who will be remembered 50 years from now as among the best the world has seen. And I think we did an exceptional job on all three. cheap moncler jackets sale
Some media reports have suggested it would have been better if we had lost by 20 points so it wouldn’t hurt so much. I think we should embrace that hurt and acknowledge that we were beaten in a World Cup final by moncler outlet store the better team. The discussion now should be about bridging that last five per cent.
Australia’s Cameron Smith (left) and coach Mal Meninga with the trophy
moncler sale And here we return to execution. Again, there have been many moncler outlet sale who would suggest that our halves, Luke Gale and Kevin Brown, are not at the level we need to take England to that next level. I would tend to disagree. I think both are superb players. moncler sale
cheap moncler outlet Where I do think things need to change is their execution under pressure. To be clear, the execution of plays is the responsibility of the whole team but it is your halves who come under the most scrutiny because invariably at these moments it https://www.cheapmoncler.com is they who have the ball in their hands. cheap moncler outlet
moncler outlet The dejected England players watch the post match presentation moncler outlet
cheap moncler So, where does the solution come from? More international games? A higher intensity of games in Super League? Further personal development? Pressure for places? cheap moncler
moncler outlet online The answer is probably a combination of all of these. But there is no hiding from the fact that the setup of the Australian league provides an atmosphere in which players are tested at that higher cheap moncler coats level of intensity on a more consistent basis. moncler outlet online
So how do we replicate moncler mens jackets this atmosphere in the northern hemisphere game? Again, a combination of factors. The salary cap does now need to be looked at, as player retention is likely to become a bigger issue in the coming years.
The Kangaroos celebrate winning the 2017 Rugby League World Cup
The system in Super League needs a couple of tweaks in my opinion to enable cheap moncler jackets its participating teams to physically and mentally compete the demands on players’ bodies and minds at certain times of the year is now not in cheap moncler line with a 21st century elite professional sport.
cheap moncler jackets But the key for me is participation. At all levels. From grassroots rugby through to academy teams, on to the reserve grade competition and filtering into the first team. More players at all levels is ultimately how the Australian league initially opened up the gap, because more players in the right coaching and training environments will produce more good players, and more good players will produce more great players. cheap moncler jackets
moncler jacket sale England players show their devastation after losing the final to Australia moncler jacket sale
And if there are more great players who play against one another in a domestic league, you will reduce the margin for error in games. Do this, and those who pull on England shirts in two cheap moncler outlet years, or five years or ten years from now will be executing plays under pressure on a more consistent basis.
moncler factory outlet For now, though, let’s speak highly of this England team. It’s not the result anyone wanted but we showed, with the odds stacked against us, what we cheap moncler are capable of on the biggest stage of all. moncler factory outlet
But and this is the big ‘but’ it would be the biggest crime we could commit as a game to enter 2018 and beyond without a clear idea and road map to bridging that five per cent. The England team of 2017 have given us all the motivation we need as a game at all levels to finally look to address the issues in our game which we all know need addressing.