So over it. Must be learning loads in the NRL, mind.

Bateman is garbage at centre. We have a quality centre in Cudjoe waiting in the wings yet (once again) we go with a second rower in the centres. Terrible decision.

.... and he's an attacking coach as well.

Which team scored the most points in the NRL regular season?

..... ... best defensive record as well!!

watching england today was a bit like watching FC over the last 2 seasons. decent defence but too much panic and wrong decisions in attack

For me we have too many good club players who cannot cut the mustard at international level.
For example current players like Hardaker, Burgess, Bateman, Watkins play consistently well at club level however put an international shirt on and they don't seem to perform.
Past players like Long, Sinfield, Burrows although great for their respective teams never produced the goods at international level either.
I don't think the referee helped the game yesterday either with too many penalties.

Looks to me as though Mcbannana is foregoing flair for a series victory to keep his job.Just because Bateman played as a makeshift centre for Wigan doesn't make him a test centre but anything that is good for Wigan is ok it seems.As for Williams,I feel sorry for the kid,he is going to be a very very good no6 but our clueless coach plays him at 7 when we have 2 other 7s in the squad and when we did try to get it out wide,the ball died when it got to SOL,he is just too slow now,Hardacker has had a superb season but Tomkins offers that wow factor.The scary thing is,apart from the 2 Burgess lads to come in,who else is there.We have gone backwards since the World Cup semi.

Agree with a lot of that. When will we ever learn about playing people out of position. Every coach starts the job saying he'll pick the best players in their own position and does the opposite when the pressures on. The fact we have a stand off ( a very good one imho ) playing at 7 when one of the stand out 7's sat in the stands says it all. Bateman is a awesome player who runs his blood to water every week but is never a international centre. Watching Saturday couldn't help wonder what the likes of Danny Brough could of had on our attack

I attended the game yesterday with my brother and a friend of his who is an RU development officer.

We've extolled the virtues of our great game for years so he finally agreed to come and try it.

How embarrasing for us that the two teams chose to serve up what can only be described as one of the worst and most boring games I have seen in all my 40 years.

McNamara is just another product of the Brian Noble Bulls school of coaching. Everything is about big forwards trundling up the middle, just like we have had during the Agar and Radford years.

People joke about him being our next coach but he suits APs MO down to the ground. I can just hear him on RH "It's a great coup to secure a coach with international and NRL experience. I firmly believe with Steve at the helm next year will be our year".