Well done to Samoa, but let's be honest, England chucked it away. If we couldn't beat Samoa there's no way we would be beating Australia. I hope the miracle happens, but I cannot see it. Australia will put Samoa under huge pressure from the off. England did not deserve to win, too many mistakes I'm afraid.
Sadly, England never really got going today and they got what they deserved on the day as a result. If anything, we were fortunate to get a second crack at it in golden point extra time. It would have been an absolute travesty if we'd won that game. The sad thing is that, after two sensational semi-finals in their different ways, next Saturday at Old Trafford could well be a complete non-event now. My only hope is that we will get more regular international games between now and 2025 in France.
The main problem international rugby league has had is that, for a long time, it's been little more than a bolt-on to the end of the club season. Hopefully, the new Super League structure after next season will give more scope for international matches in general but there's no doubt that some sort of European structure is desperately needed based on what we've seen in this tournament.
