What Went Wrong With Great Britain?

Nov 27, 2005 League Freak International Rugby League News 0

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For Great Britain the 2005 Tri Nations is over.

Many people in the UK went into this series full of confidence. They felt that last years thrashing in the Tri Series Final was not an indication of their standing in the game. Thats why 2005 comes as a rude reality check for some.

Personally, this series told me NOTHING about Great Britain I didn’t already know.

I don’t want to get into a game of “I Told You So” but you have to wonder the wisdom of the RFL wasting 12 months on a coach that proved he was incapable of performing at Test level in 2004.

Brian Noble is a good bloke. He tries hard and he is doing his best. But the fact is that he has not been up to the task in just about every area of the game and unfortunately, his time as Great Britain coach has to end.

After Australia’s 26-14 win over Great Britain, I kind of felt sorry for the British side. No….I really did. 🙂

I mean, not a single player in the Great Britain side is old enough to remember a time when Great Britain were the Kings of Rugby League. Many of the coaches and coaching staff have not been a part of a Test team that could claim they were the best in the world.

I really think GB are trying hard to improve, its just that they don’t really know how to improve and in what areas they need to improve.

The problem is that the British game is very reluctant to look at getting any sort of outside influence. They keep looking for the answers to their problems within themselves, when the fact is they need to branch out, look at what everyone else is doing, and take those lessons on board.

British coaches, players and fans are all so quick to write off criticism. They are all to quick to talk themselves up.

Paul Sculthrope, Keiron Cunningham, Paul Wellens, Kiris Radlinski, Andrew Farrell, Stuart Fielden, Keith Senior, Martin Gleeson, Brian Carney….all players who have been called the best in the world at their position by people within the UK.

Call’s that Super League is improving, its better than the NRL, its more exciting, Australia plays a boring style….its just ridiculous.

The thing is, year after year it comes back to bite Great Britain on the backside….and year after year it keeps happening. Like a skipping record…..you see the same thing every year. Britain builds itself up only to be torn down by an Australia side that has coasted to series wins over the last few years.

I don’t think its going to change any time soon either.

All this talk about reducing the number of imports is complete garbage. The same people said the same things in 2003 and since then the import problem has only got worse!

You are now seeing a younger generation of British players being infected by a losing culture. Its not that they don’t want to win….its just that these crushing losses would effect even the most seasoned performer. Growing up never seeing a GB series win and then being beaten so convincingly at test level yourself….it has an ever lasting impact on a player.

One has to ask what Great Britain got out of this series. Does anyone believe that certain players played their way out of the GB side? Will the coaching set up and the methods used to prepare the team get a red felt pen put through them?

I don’t think they will. And thats the tragic story of British Rugby League.

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• Andrew Farrell, Brian Carney, Brian Noble, Great Britain, Keiron Cunningham, Keith Senior, Martin Gleeson, Paul Sculthorpe, Paul Wellens, RFL, Stuart Fielden, Super League, Tri Series

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