Hall maintains his try run as England warm up in style
England answered most of their critics with a highly satisfactory performance to see off a dangerous Samoa in their mid-season Test in Sydney.
The Pacific Islanders gave the tourists a scare in their previous meeting before going down 32-26 in the 2014 Four Nations Series in Brisbane, but they never threatened a repeat against an England side who controlled the game from start to finish.
Prolific winger Ryan Hall gave his side the dream start with his 32nd try for his country, while Stefan Ratchford, Josh Hodgson, James Graham and Jermaine McGillvary added others, and Luke Gale kicked five goals from six attempts as England acquitted themselves well in their last competitive outing before the World Cup.
Victory at the Campbelltown Sports Stadium will have delighted coach Wayne Bennett, who had sparked controversy by insisting on playing the game in Australia in the middle of the Super League season and angered some with his selection of the Australia-born forwards Chris McQueen and Chris Heighington.
But there could be little argument with most of his picks. McQueen will have been disappointed with his contribution but the 35-year-old Heighington produced a whole-hearted effort and Kevin Brown and Ratchford made the most of their late call-ups with impressive displays.
Old stagers Sam Burgess and James Graham set the perfect platform early in the game with their prodigious work rate and winger McGillvary continued his encouraging form for his country.
“It was a tough game of football,” Bennett, who coaches the Brisbane Broncos, said. “We got challenged a fair bit and we worked hard to get the result we got, that’s what we’re here for. We won’t get better watching the other nations play.
“I’m not worried about the critics. If I was, I would have left the game a long time ago.”
Bennett’s men could hardly have made a better start with man-of-thematch Elliott Whitehead’s crunching tackle on Suaia Matagi setting up an attacking opportunity that produced a third-minute score for Hall, who accepted Sean O’Loughlin’s cut-out pass to maintain his remarkable scoring rate of a try a game on his 32nd Test appearance.
England’s forwards were immense and the game management of halfbacks Brown and Gale, chosen in the absence of injured duo Gareth Widdop and George Williams, kept their side on the front foot throughout the first half.