England v Samoa – Rugby League World Cup: Shaun Wane’s men can go to final… as long as they win opener, says Robinson
JASON ROBINSON is the only Englishman to play in three World Cup finals, in a stellar rugby career that made him a legend in both codes.
Here he gives his exclusive view on the Rugby League World Cup, which kicks off with a blockbuster between England and Samoa at St James’ Park . . . and reckons Shaun Wane’s Lions could roar all the way to the final.
England coach Shaun Wane and captain Sam Tomkins chat before their Rugby League World Cup opener against SamoaGetty
Dom Young (second right) could be the breakthrough star of the tournamentGetty
I HAVE no doubt that England can be kings of the world — but they must get off to a flier at St James’ Park on Saturday.
And if anyone thinks it will be easy against Samoa, they’re in for a shock — because it will be as tough as it gets.
Samoa will be licking their lips at this . . . the big stage, live on BBC, a huge atmosphere — and they’d love nothing more than to upset the apple cart on day one.
They are always so physical, they smash into people and run over the top of them. I’m so glad I will be in the stands!
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It’s not all about size, though, as they have EIGHT men who played in Australia’s NRL Grand Final and can beat anyone on their day.
England must make sure it’s not on Saturday.
But no one will have their side more fired up than Shaun Wane, an Englishman with huge passion and loads of experience winning trophies at Wigan.
You know they will be ready for it under him. A World Cup on home soil in front of family and friends.
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It’s their stage, their patch to defend. It’s the pinnacle.
England just need to get through this first game, because a winning start builds confidence and makes a massive difference. I know that from personal experience.
The last thing you want is to lose — everyone is on your back.
You only need to win by a point or two and it puts you in pole position.
All of a sudden you look at the knockout games in a different light, there’s a momentum behind you.
In 1995, we played Australia in the first game and although we had the likes of Martin Offiah, Andy Farrell and Denis Betts in our ranks, no one gave us a chance.
They had all-time greats like Andrew Johns and Brad Fittler but I was lucky enough to score a try, we beat them 20-16 and that changed the tournament. We ended up getting to the final.
GettyJason Robinson goes over against Australia at the 1995 World Cup[/caption]
It’s one of the biggest upsets and biggest wins I had as a player. The fact England haven’t beaten them in 27 years since, shows it’s not easy.
That’s the size of the task, but having six NRL-based players is a huge help for England.
Men like Tom Burgess and Luke Thompson are used to playing at the highest level, under the most pressure, every week and that gives you a huge shot of confidence.
We hoped to get Dom Young, of Newcastle Knights in Australia, for Jamaica — who I’m helping as operations manager.
He plumped for England but that’s great news for them because he is a big unit who has done well in the NRL.
Dom could be one of the young stars of this World Cup.
There’s no reason why they can’t reach the final . . . and for all they could put out three world-class teams, the Aussies aren’t superhuman.
We saw with the Lionesses what it can do. Whenever we have a successful England team people get behind it.
Jason Robinson
Respect them, of course, but you do that by getting in their faces, not letting them play, giving them no time on the ball.
Even the best players can make mistakes under pressure.
You have to get fired up early doors, get the crowd onside and take them to places they don’t like. It’ll be the same when England kick off in Newcastle.
They are one of four teams who could beat Australia on their day — Samoa, Tonga and New Zealand are the others.
But first things first. England need a win in Newcastle today to get the ball rolling.
We saw with the Lionesses what it can do. Whenever we have a successful England team people get behind it.
That’s why the next month could be the biggest boost for English rugby league ever — and they have a serious chance of making it happen.
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JASON ROBINSON is an ambassador for Vodafone Business, official technology partner to the RL World Cup.
lVodafone have teamed up with the Rugby League World Cup in their Pride of Your League competition.
If you know someone who fits the bill, write 500 words on what makes them special and why they deserve to be hailed as a champion. Prizes include World Cup final tickets, a training visit from international players and equipment for your club — to enter go to bit.ly/RLWC2021Vodafone
