ENGLAND duly enjoyed a 26-4 win against Tonga at Headingley, thus winning the Autumn Test series 3-0 in front of more than 15,000 fans – the biggest crowd of the three Tests, held at St Helens, Huddersfield and Leeds.
Wigan half-back Harry Smith was named Player of the Series after producing the biggest applause of the day near the end with a fantastic cross kick which set up a try for another youngster, centre Harry Newman, writes ROGER HALSTEAD.
The idea of Pacific nations coming over here once a year to play England in a Test series is to provide more international competition for England who, France apart, have little meaningful competition in the northern hemisphere.
Samoa are pencilled in to be next year’s Autumn opponents, having shaken England with a 27-26 golden-point extra time win in last year’s World Cup semi-final.
“That will always haunt me,”
said England boss Shaun Wane, who was told before kick-off at Headingley that, on the other side of the world. New Zealand had trounced Australia 30-0 in Hamilton in the final of the inaugural Pacific Cup.
Here, England Women ran in 11 tries in demolishing Wales 60-0, while the England wheelchair team prepare to go head to head in Leeds with their arch rivals France.
Are significant roots In the growth of international rugby league beginning to show through?
ANOTHER reminder for Roughyeds fans of the fans’ forum at Boundary Park on Tuesday night, starting at 8pm. Admission is free. Enter the car park via Broadway and the forum will take place in the Broadway Suite of the Joe Royle stand. Those present to answer questions, pose for pictures etc taken on your phones, and generally get to know you better ahead of the 2024 season (training starts soon) include Sean Long, Bill Quinn, Mike Ford and several of the new signings. No question is off limits. Everyone is free to ask anything.
Long, the club chairman, managing director and John Chadwick, a former chairman, were among top-table guests of the Players’ Association at its annual dinner on Friday at St Herbert’s on Broadway.
