Rugby League World Cup 2013: Prop George Burgess caps a fine display with a ...

“We let them off a bit with some silly errors and penalties that allowed them

back into the game,” Burgess reflected. “You can’t do that with this quality

of opposition. But we’ll definitely be better for the experience.”

It was a more chastening international baptism for brother Sam, who was

fortunate to remain on the pitch after a swinging arm on Sam Thaiday, while

George’s identical twin Tom had scant chance to make an impact as a late

replacement.

But for all coach Steve McNamara’s dismay at the lost opportunities to

translate a 10-0 lead into a famous result, the portents are still

encouraging for England. With wins in their next group games against Ireland

and Samoa, both of whom they should comfortably dispatch, they stand to book

a semi-final against a New Zealand side spearheaded by the totemic Sonny

Bill Williams. “The Kiwis are a great side, and we’ll have to be ready,”

Burgess said. “They’ll do some damage in this competition, so we can’t

underestimate them.”

Whatever means McNamara used to galvanise his charges in Cardiff worked, with

a striking team unity emerging from the chaos of the week before, when

Gareth Hock had been dropped from the squad for breaching a curfew. “We’re

all very professional and we know how to deal with stuff like that,” Burgess

claimed. “We just get on with it.”

It was indicative of the turnaround that several England players were visibly

disappointed not to have beaten the overwhelming favourites. “It feels like

we have thrown it away,” said Rangi Chase, the New Zealand-born stand-off.

Only when Darius Boyd touched down in the corner in the closing seconds were

the ebbs and flows truly settled in Australia’s favour. “Eight points,” rued

second row Carl Ablett. “It just shows that we’re not a million miles away.”

For half an hour, indeed, the Kangaroos had been caught on the hop as a

ferocious England deprived them of any rhythm.

Thurston, the stand-out talent of Australian league with the North Queensland

Cowboys, acknowledged: “England have quality players and they stuck it at

us, but we kept to our game plan and got through it. In the second half we

controlled the game.”

When England had raced to their early advantage courtesy of tries by Ryan Hall

and Leroy Cudjie, plus the unerring boot of captain Kevin Sinfield, the

prognosis had looked very different.

But Greg Inglis’s magnificent work in setting up Thurston to crash over at the

opposite end lit the comeback and, with the momentum in the balance,

Australia struck decisively just before the half-time hooter when Billy

Slater scored with a scintillating 40-yard dash.

From there Brett Morris’s penalty and Boyd’s late contribution established the

supremacy of the green and gold, only for Josh Charnley to provide one final

surge of adrenalin with his opportunistic try from a rare Australia error.

Alas it arrived too late, but an eclipse of the Irish in Huddersfield on

Saturday ought to restore faith that this England team are capable of

surpassing all expectations.

Article source: http://www.news.com.au/sport/nrl/rugby-league-world-cup-previews-fiji-v-ireland-tonga-v-scotland-usa-v-cook-islands/story-fndujljl-1226748319080

Rugby League World Cup 2013: Prop George Burgess caps a fine display with a ...