BETTS: WE CAN TIE KANGEROOS DOWN, SPORT!

DENIS BETTS is urging England’s players not to leave the tournament with any World Cup regrets.

Wayne Bennett’s team kick off their campaign against Australia this morning having not beaten the Kangaroos twice in a series since the World Cup win of 1972 – their last major success. They are likely to need two wins over Australia if they are to return home with the World Cup.

Assistant coach Betts (below) was involved in isolated wins

and near-misses against Australia as a player and captained the England team that lost the 1995 World Cup Final at Wembley. He said: “We just didn’t perform on the day, that lives with me and nobody thought we wouldn’t be in a World Cup final from that day to this.” Now he believes it is time for a new era, adding: “It’s been a long time – my experiences will guide me through this tournament, but the players have played in some big games against Australia. We can talk about ’92 and ’95 and the opportunities and the regrets that some of the players have had. “But I hope that the players in this group can move forward for the next 10, 15 years without the regrets of the experiences that I had.

“It’s about performing, it’s about being on the big stage and putting ourselves out there.

“I will say this, nothing’s won or lost on Friday and we will get better as we go through the tournament, as we spend more time with the players.

“We haven’t beaten Australia twice in a tournament – whether it be an Ashes Series or a World Cup – since 1972 when we last won a World Cup.

“That’s got to be the benchmark – you want to beat Australia twice.

Despite a lack of experience in beating Australia in the squad – only Sean O’Loughlin and James Roby have enjoyed that feeling – Betts believes the squad can shake off the shackles of 11 winless years against the Kangaroos.

He added: “We’ve got plenty of players who have experience of performing in big games.

“When you get two teams of the best players, it’s about who can break the other one down with some outstanding skill under pressure.

“Who can execute time and time again, who doesn’t get bored of doing the little things well. That’s what Test match football against the best sides is like – you win or lose by a score or two.”