Bateman apologises for tour defeats
Great Britain forward John Bateman apologised to travelling supporters after a third straight tour defeat raised more questions about Wayne Bennett’s future as head coach.
Saturday’s loss to New Zealand in Christchurch means the Lions must beat Papua New Guinea in Port Moresby on Saturday to avoid being whitewashed.
Bateman was one of his team’s best performers but another disjointed display allowed the Kiwis to edge three tries ahead before Josh Hodgson’s effort prompted a fightback, which fell short. Bateman, who was officially recognised as the best second-rower in the NRL during his debut season at Canberra Raiders, could not hide his disappointment.
“We haven’t won a game yet, so it’s tough to take,” he said. “New Zealand played well, but we gave them possession, which cost us. “We’ve trained well and got our combinations, but we haven’t put that out on the field. “When we sang the national anthem, all our fans were singing and screaming, so I want to say a massive thank you to them.
“I apologise we couldn’t get the win, and for the tour, but I really appreciate them coming out here and spending their hard-earned money. We want to finish the tour with a win in Papua New Guinea.”
The Rugby Football League’s rugby director, Kevin Sinfield, flew to Christchurch to attend the game and is set for talks with Bennett about the veteran Australian’s position.
Bennett has been England coach for the past four years and an Ashes series against Australia next year will be followed by the 2021 World Cup.
Both events are to be staged in England but it remains to be seen if Bennett, 69, will be awarded a new deal and tasked with leading the national side into the World Cup.
His immediate priority is beating Papua New Guinea and half-backs George Williams and Jake Trueman look certain to feature for the first time during the tour.