A rugby league team to treasure
England used to be the “nearly men” of rugby league, said Kate Rowan in The Daily Telegraph. They made it to three World Cup finals – most recently last year – and lost each time. But in the first two Tests against New Zealand, they have gone a long way to “casting off” that reputation. On both occasions, the Kiwis – the world’s second best team, behind Australia – took the lead, only for England to overturn the deficit and win. Their 20-14 victory in the second Test, at Anfield last Sunday, “clinched” the series with one match still to play.
This was a “hugely impressive win”, said John Drayton in the Daily Mail. There were a host of heroes: prop Luke Thompson looks “a natural at this level”; Jake Connor, the centre, scored his fourth try in as many appearances. Most impressive was Tommy Makinson: in only his third international match, the winger scored a hat-trick of tries. This series has confirmed that Wayne Bennett, the Australian who became England’s head coach in 2016, has transformed the national side, said Aaron Bower in The Guardian. They are a group that deserve a “much, much greater” platform. And for that to happen, they must play “as often as possible” – making both them and rugby league more popular. Having a “strong domestic game” is one thing. But the lesson from other sports is simple: it is only at the international level that you can “truly capture the imagination of the public”.