Wigan’s Liam Farrell scored twice for England
| England (12) 24 |
| Tries: Farrell 2, Knowles, Davies Gates: Ratchford 4 |
| Combines all stars (14) 26 |
| Tries: # 2, Terrible, McGillvary Gates: Caesar 3 Pencils: Caesar 2 |
Shaun Wane said his players “need to be a little smarter” as his tenure as England coach began disappointed with a 26:24 loss to the Combined All Stars.
Appointed in February 2020, Wane finally took over the helm for the first time.
But Ken Sio and Peter Mata’utia crossed for the All Stars – between Liam Farrell’s doubles – for a 14-12 lead.
Jermaine McGillvary and Sio’s runner-up extended the lead and although debutants Morgan Knowles and Tom Davies reacted, it wasn’t enough.
“I thought they played well,” said Wane. “There are no excuses. We could have won this game, no question about it. We just had to be a little smarter. But I’m proud of the team.”
Three-time Super League winner Wane replaced Australian Wayne Bennett and was due to oversee an Ashes test series against Australia last fall, which was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic.
That meant he had to wait 16 months to leave England as the national team had competed in an international match for the first time since 2018, but an exciting fight ended in defeat.
Preparations for Wane’s first game have been far from ideal as players are absent from the NRL due to Super League games taking place this weekend as well as outbreaks of Covid-19 in several clubs.
Captain Sam Tomkins showed few signs of fatigue with a solid performance after a 16-hour marathon ride from the south of France to avoid the quarantine, while Davies, teammate of the Catalans Dragons, who arrived in a separate car, scored on his debut .
Wigan striker Farrell impressed with two attempts, including an excellent solo run, but it was two Huddersfield men who made the difference for the All Stars in front of 4,000 spectators at Warrington.
Winger McGillvary, who played for England in the 2017 World Cup final against Australia, managed to dig his way into the corner to consider for this year’s tournament, showing the 10 points from Huddersfield’s Aidan Sezer with the shoe to be crucial.
“I’m the worst loser in the world but I thought we showed a lot of toughness, especially in the face of the adversity of losing these players,” said Wane.
“If we had been smarter in the right places on the field, we would have won the game.
“I’m just a little disappointed with the players who didn’t notice.
“The All Stars were a big, athletic team. I knew we’d go up against them.”
England’s last warm-up game will be against Fiji in Rochdale on October 15th, with the hosts kicking off their World Cup season against Samoa in Newcastle a week later.
A decision about decision whether the World Cup is still taking place in England this year or to 2022 will be done next week.
“Decisions cost England”
Former England international Jon Wilkin on BBC Radio 5 Live Sports Extra
“England made a mistake in their decision and it took them two tries. It was fierce competition and the All Stars had some strong porters.
“England looked small and could not physically keep up with the All Stars but that will be very different when their missing players return to the team.
“But Shaun Wane will be disappointed and have some real focus for the team.
“The game fell back and forth in terms of quality and execution. The All Stars looked really sharp with the ball but England didn’t really get going but it was still a fantastic exercise to get a run-out together.”
Watch live coverage of the wheelchair international England v Wales on Saturday on the BBC Red Button, BBC Sport website and app from 12:20 PM BST. at
