:00:18. > :00:29.Game is over in that! He's going to score.
:00:30. > :00:30.Everybody is saying, "Go, go, go," and he goes!
:00:31. > :00:46.And a try! Hello, the 2013 Rugby League World
:00:47. > :00:50.Cup is under way in spectacular style - 14 countries playing for one
:00:51. > :00:54.prize. Every Sunday nigh we will be bringing you the very best of the
:00:55. > :01:02.action. Tonight, we have a packed 45 minutes.
:01:03. > :01:08.Defending champions New Zealand took on Samoa. Fireworks were predicted
:01:09. > :01:12.and it didn't disappoint. Papua New Guinea took on France. For England
:01:13. > :01:19.and Wales, we look back on the opening day encounters.
:01:20. > :01:23.I am delighted to say the former Great Britain coach Brian Noble is
:01:24. > :01:30.in the studio, along with the side we had to havenot New Zealand for
:01:31. > :01:34.action, Robbie Hunter Palm. Let's start with Group B. In a moment,
:01:35. > :01:40.Papua New Guinea against France, but first a mouth watering clash b Samoa
:01:41. > :01:45.and and New Zealand. Five years ago, of course, the Kiwis
:01:46. > :01:47.stunned the Australians in the final.
:01:48. > :01:51.New Zealand, the champions of the world.
:01:52. > :01:53.And there was a late boost for them this time with the surprise return
:01:54. > :02:13.of this man. Watch this ball!
:02:14. > :02:27.Williams who made it! It is another big hit by Sonny.
:02:28. > :02:31.It was a sell-out crowd at Warrington to see the defending
:02:32. > :02:50.champions take on Samoa and see the ban billed as the star of the
:02:51. > :02:55.tournament. The Kiwis! Started by the man with
:02:56. > :03:00.the three letters SBW! This is one of the reasons why this
:03:01. > :03:09.stayed grim is full. They want to see this fella. Lovely supply and
:03:10. > :03:31.middle wall. Their money ball from SBW there.
:03:32. > :03:43.Boom. Straight through the hole. Now Pritchard, quickly, he pushes
:03:44. > :03:49.away from him. First time as captain in the test.
:03:50. > :04:02.He celebrates with a try. What about the skill!
:04:03. > :04:16.Pushing up on the inside, finishes the movement.
:04:17. > :04:20.The Warrington Wolves, 15,500 capacity, it is a sensatio
:04:21. > :04:26.atmosphere. 15 15 metres out from the line up four. Up he goes,
:04:27. > :04:34.beautiful. I don't know whether he landed the
:04:35. > :04:56.ball. A challenge for Antonio. He has got that pretty confident,
:04:57. > :05:05.though. This tackle count shows a two: one
:05:06. > :05:10.ratio. Sam Cassiano, you wouldn't want to have to pay his grocery
:05:11. > :05:17.bill. Here is Jobson inside, the captain is over! Johnson shows a
:05:18. > :05:22.skill that time. Simon Manwaring, again, a grand
:05:23. > :05:24.occasion for him as captain, celebrates with a try double. How
:05:25. > :05:39.good is this New Zealand side We have just over two minutes
:05:40. > :05:46.remaining in this first half. Entertainment plus here tonight. And
:05:47. > :06:06.then a run! Well done!
:06:07. > :06:16.This is what they did the first half. Loose ball... There he will
:06:17. > :06:20.start dancing across field with the show-and-go. 11 from the line. Luke
:06:21. > :06:54.again on the ten-metre line, last tackle. The kick from him. What a
:06:55. > :07:04.run here! Well, broke throug 20 metres out a
:07:05. > :07:07.dummy. They get to flick. Referee Richardson had his back to
:07:08. > :07:09.him. Luke has gone over. They're going to check it with the video
:07:10. > :07:37.referee. Still in the air, in the air... .
:07:38. > :07:42.He gets it down in the end. Maybe a debate on the final pass on forward
:07:43. > :08:03.or not. They all count now. It's on the score sheet.
:08:04. > :08:15.Mannering is away, and another one! Quick hands.
:08:16. > :08:18.Brilliant hands. Manu has scored a trouble here for
:08:19. > :08:21.for New Zealand. On one stage in the first half, we were concerned he may
:08:22. > :08:25.well be replaced and his World Cup could be over. He does know his way
:08:26. > :08:31.to the try line. The crowd gets involved.
:08:32. > :08:37.They are hungry for a Samoan try. They spread on the left side. It is
:08:38. > :08:41.just five away from the line. Williams over the top of the tackle.
:08:42. > :09:00.He slows down the play of the ball, he gets them back. Decides to give
:09:01. > :09:03.it. You can't question the Samoans' spirit. They're still having a
:09:04. > :09:19.red-hot day. Samoa threaten to score a third try.
:09:20. > :09:20.A beautiful ball. Beautifully picked up. He is strong,
:09:21. > :09:47.he held from the line. He scored! This little wippet is
:09:48. > :09:56.asking real questions of the New Zealand defence.
:09:57. > :10:00.Both in the air. The control, he is in control. He's on the ground.
:10:01. > :10:19.That's a try. You could argue it's a tackle, but
:10:20. > :10:25.then if it is a tackle, it's a two-on-one - Hear, hear. It's not a
:10:26. > :10:30.try. Samoa! Held up by the defence. Look
:10:31. > :10:39.at the army! Look at the Blackwall. There are seven of them there!
:10:40. > :10:46.They will be forced to play it. He scores again!
:10:47. > :10:52.Samoa have scored their fourth try. Don't worry about kicking
:10:53. > :10:57.conversions. He picks him out. What a finish.
:10:58. > :11:13.Absolutely brilliant. 36-18. Can he possibly have seen
:11:14. > :11:21.this coming? He comes up with the ball. I think
:11:22. > :11:43.it was - he lost the ball. Samoa have got another one.
:11:44. > :11:49.Sonny! He's done it! I don't think he has scored!
:11:50. > :11:59.I don't think he has scored. The ball went over first.
:12:00. > :12:08.What happened. This stadium has been waiting for him to do that as well.
:12:09. > :12:21.This game has got it all. Rugby League test football, Sonny
:12:22. > :12:25.Williams. 36-24, New Zealan//Samoa. Manu!
:12:26. > :12:29.He delivered a pass and then was hammered by the defence.
:12:30. > :12:35.But Manu has got a hat trick here. That was a good Rugby League try by
:12:36. > :12:39.the Kiwi. When you get your line cross for five tries, you know, we
:12:40. > :12:43.definitely focused on our defence this week, but again, I thought the
:12:44. > :12:49.Samoan side played with a great deal of energy and had a real drive about
:12:50. > :12:54.them, so full credit to them. The crowd was amazing there. You know,
:12:55. > :12:57.they got a good battle there on the second half, but the boys are good
:12:58. > :13:00.enough to hold on. We've got some things we need to work on, the
:13:01. > :13:05.defensive structures, but obviously we can take confidence from that. If
:13:06. > :13:09.we can improve on that performance, I think we can win that game from
:13:10. > :13:13.the beginning. It was a pretty special game. Before
:13:14. > :13:22.we get to the action, it started pretty specially. You're the expert,
:13:23. > :13:31.Robbie. The hacker versus the Sivitau. A new haka for New Zealand.
:13:32. > :13:37.And absolutely brilliant. They were set up in an arrow shape really
:13:38. > :13:41.challenging them. It is a homage to all the ancestors that go before,
:13:42. > :13:44.wherever they come from in New Zealand. If you're staring down the
:13:45. > :13:51.end of that, it's not the most comfortable day out. What is it like
:13:52. > :13:54.to be opposite that? It puts up the hairs on the back of your neck. We
:13:55. > :13:59.like to see the spectators and the fans, and players like to be
:14:00. > :14:02.involved in this. There are traditions of cultures and different
:14:03. > :14:05.plans and it just gets you ready to play. What did the crowd make of it?
:14:06. > :14:09.They loved it. You couldn't hear a penny drop as they were going
:14:10. > :14:13.through it. The applause afterwards was sensational. The game was pretty
:14:14. > :14:17.special as well. Do you think we've seen already one of the stars of
:14:18. > :14:22.this tournament in the winger? I think we've seen a few, but this kid
:14:23. > :14:26.could be a freak and a bit special for people to watch right throughout
:14:27. > :14:31.these five weeks if they go this far. He is a superb young man. Two
:14:32. > :14:34.weeks ago, he played in a grand final, and that finished as good as
:14:35. > :14:39.anything we see. We've seen wingers do this all year. The actual skill
:14:40. > :14:44.of this has got it in wrong hand in essence, and terrific finish from
:14:45. > :14:47.him is a brilliant athlete and well worth watching. We expected it to be
:14:48. > :14:52.a very, very physical game. It took them a little while but once they
:14:53. > :14:57.got into the physicality they left nothing behind? I agree with you 100
:14:58. > :15:02.per cent there. It was very, very physical. The big grams there, when
:15:03. > :15:07.he came on, he changed the game. He came from a long way away to make
:15:08. > :15:13.that head. From that point onwards, it ramped up. This didn't stop. I've
:15:14. > :15:17.seen all these a going, "What is he doing?" It was a privilege to be at
:15:18. > :15:23.the game because it was one of the most physical, skilful games I've
:15:24. > :15:28.seen for a long while. It reinforces why we've retired. From every single
:15:29. > :15:32.kick-off, it was what are these guys doing to each other? Did the
:15:33. > :15:42.physicality get them back in the game? For Samor definitely. The
:15:43. > :15:46.Warrington supporters lifted them. After the Laylor try, they grew, and
:15:47. > :15:49.grew, and grew, and it just got stronger and stronger. It was
:15:50. > :15:54.certainly the physicality and the fact they took the game to New
:15:55. > :15:59.Zealand. In essence, it was dead and buried because New Zealand here have
:16:00. > :16:03.a three-on-three, and they thought I will have the good win of the New
:16:04. > :16:08.Zealand centre, see how much it meant to him. Watch - off his right
:16:09. > :16:12.foot. There are four Kiwi defenders that he takes with him in the
:16:13. > :16:15.process as well. That is all with intent. There was nothing stopping
:16:16. > :16:20.him, was there? Exactly. He got him on the edge, he knew he had them and
:16:21. > :16:26.he taut I am going over Toppia. After that, the whole Samoan team
:16:27. > :16:31.rose. After that is the Warrington supporters that went with them and
:16:32. > :16:35.it grew and grew, and, for the next 30 minutes, theyletered one another.
:16:36. > :16:38.Brilliant stuff. So, to Sonny bill Williams. He was billed as the star
:16:39. > :16:42.of the show, there's been so much talk about him, he wasn't going to
:16:43. > :16:45.the squad and then not. It created all the headlines, he played
:16:46. > :16:51.tonight. What did you make of him? People have got to this fellow. His
:16:52. > :16:55.first piece of skill here, the little softball, the soft touch to
:16:56. > :16:59.finish the play along with the fullback Hoffman is one of the
:17:00. > :17:02.reasons is why he's such a great player. That's a great skill. He
:17:03. > :17:06.copped them on the hips at the same time. He is there to finish the
:17:07. > :17:11.play. This is the game breaking play that took New Zealand away from
:17:12. > :17:15.Samoa. He does everything right, a brilliant run. It's nice to know
:17:16. > :17:20.he's human! He's truly embarrassed, he's done the good thing, beaten
:17:21. > :17:23.five defenders and slipped over. He is thinking, "I don't want to look
:17:24. > :17:31.at the camera because I know what is coming - no try." Yes, I will put
:17:32. > :17:34.the ball down when I want. You can bet your bottom dollar anywhere near
:17:35. > :17:40.the front chalk next time, he will get it right down. When you compare
:17:41. > :17:46.him to yesterday, what do you make of his stats versus Ben Westward's?
:17:47. > :17:53.They carry the ball on the same amount of metres. Metres. Westward
:17:54. > :17:57.looked stronger with him in the team. Sonny bill's handling stats
:17:58. > :18:00.will be better. I think we're going to see fantastic styles right
:18:01. > :18:04.throughout this tournament from all the teams. Sonny Bill is one of the
:18:05. > :18:08.reasons why a lot of people will show up. By the end of this
:18:09. > :18:12.tournament, we've seen another one tonight, and there are so many
:18:13. > :18:16.players out there that it's just mouth watering. Tonight was a
:18:17. > :18:24.privilege. That was the late game and game B. He recallers Papua New
:18:25. > :18:35.Guinea played France at a windy Hull.
:18:36. > :18:42.Papua New Guinea were always offered a warm welcome.
:18:43. > :18:47.Home fans were offered an early glimpse of what they could accept.
:18:48. > :19:05.Both sides struggled to adapt to conditions.
:19:06. > :19:13.Is that out on a full? It is. Bosc - gives a try. First to draw
:19:14. > :19:17.blood in this. PNG battled gamely to get back into the game. He fires the
:19:18. > :19:22.ball out. The runners are there. The ball is down the back. He bounces it
:19:23. > :19:25.off the head, and into the arms on the far side. He slams the ball
:19:26. > :19:32.down. He's a lot to - there's a lot to
:19:33. > :19:36.look at here. That's off the head. It's the knocked forward by - and
:19:37. > :19:49.that is a try. A decent crowd of nearly 7,500 were
:19:50. > :19:54.enjoying a keenly fought contest. Transcribing to make the most of the
:19:55. > :19:58.final few minutes. The referee - is he down there? We're going to have a
:19:59. > :20:02.look at this. We're going to see if France have got their second try of
:20:03. > :20:14.the game. Video referee. Yes, it looks a second movement to me. No
:20:15. > :20:17.try. PNG's coach is being assisted by Malmaninga. Whatever they said at
:20:18. > :20:23.half-time, it seemed to have the effect. That is their fifth tackle
:20:24. > :20:28.of the set used up. A squeeze on his left-hand side. And they're in the
:20:29. > :20:34.corner. His first try for Papua New Guinea.
:20:35. > :20:42.They know what they want. They got themselves into the lead.
:20:43. > :20:54.The South Sea Islanders suddenly had a spring in their step. Is he there?
:20:55. > :21:00.France, made up almost entirely of Catalan Dragons stood firm, and won
:21:01. > :21:07.a penalty to draw level. He has lost the ball, though. It has
:21:08. > :21:13.gone forward. A penalty though to the French. The ball wasn't steady
:21:14. > :21:18.on the tee. But it is straight between the two, and we're all
:21:19. > :21:25.square. The Papuans rallied again but lacked composure.
:21:26. > :21:35.The gap opens up, the off-load is away. It's picked up by David Mead.
:21:36. > :21:39.Is the kick too strong? It is. It goes straight into touch. France
:21:40. > :21:44.seized their opportunity. He has had a drop goal attempt. He
:21:45. > :21:49.has kicked it. There it is. France lead by nine points to eight.
:21:50. > :21:56.For their opponents, renowned for their ferocious physicality,
:21:57. > :22:01.frustration began to creep in. That was a high shot. It wasn't
:22:02. > :22:09.intentional I don't think. There is his, he certainly hooked him round
:22:10. > :22:16.the neck, hasn't he? PNG's David Mead has valuable experience from
:22:17. > :22:24.Gold Titans in Australia's N R L. He had a shot at redemption with the
:22:25. > :22:32.clock ticking. A penalty to Papua New Guinea. David Mead for PNG but
:22:33. > :22:36.they trailed by a point. He pulled it in front of the sticks from 25
:22:37. > :22:41.metres ou Three conversions, three shots at goal, all missed, and there
:22:42. > :22:48.is the opportunity for Papua New Guinea. The pressure is just too
:22:49. > :22:52.much. The French have weathered the Samoan
:22:53. > :22:57.storm, won this game by a spindle point. I thought we got really
:22:58. > :23:00.messy. Both teams played better into the wind. I thought our kicking game
:23:01. > :23:03.let us down in the second half, and we found it difficult to get too
:23:04. > :23:08.much field position and play too much football, so we scrapped away.
:23:09. > :23:11.You can argue that probably the best side lost. I thought we were the
:23:12. > :23:15.better team tonight. The second half, the wind was a courageous
:23:16. > :23:19.effort, we hung in there and couldn't convert our opportunities.
:23:20. > :23:26.Pretty honest assessment there from both coaches but you see Adrian
:23:27. > :23:30.Lam's face as sat there and watched that kick go. Definitely a case of
:23:31. > :23:33.missed opportunities. They had a couple of run-in players that they
:23:34. > :23:37.botched in the second half. The focus will be on David Mead,
:23:38. > :23:42.unfortunately, because of his missed attempts. There was a howling gale
:23:43. > :23:46.at Craven Park. The one in front with stick with him a little bit. I
:23:47. > :23:50.think the better team did lose in relation to how they played the game
:23:51. > :23:53.in the en, a this will be the focus for most people's media attention
:23:54. > :23:56.tomorrow. How do you pick him up after that. He's going to be
:23:57. > :23:59.distraught. They've got a long way to go yet. They've got some more
:24:00. > :24:03.games to play, so he's got to be on fire. I think the coach was honest
:24:04. > :24:08.enough to say he was a big part of our team. David Mead played really
:24:09. > :24:12.well, probably that one kicking attempt. It is really difficult, I
:24:13. > :24:16.know we do as headline-makers and things like that, but he's had a
:24:17. > :24:20.terrific game. He will be fine. Robbie, when you look at France,
:24:21. > :24:25.they looked disjointed. It didn't happen for them because many of the
:24:26. > :24:29.players come from the same club side in Catalan? Yes, it seemed at no
:24:30. > :24:35.point in this game did they get a strong foot hold in the game itself.
:24:36. > :24:39.They ripped into the French right from the beginning of the game, and
:24:40. > :24:42.they had him on the back foot and a good kicking game. They took it to
:24:43. > :24:48.the French forward pack once again. You saw quite a few times the French
:24:49. > :24:51.were trying to move the ball arou the Comos and it didn't work for
:24:52. > :24:57.them. This is something that Richard Agar will want to address. He said
:24:58. > :25:00.we need to earn it and then play off the back of it as opposed to run
:25:01. > :25:04.around, push passes and create mistakes. Do you think it is a
:25:05. > :25:08.different France in France? I think absolutely think that. I think Samoa
:25:09. > :25:14.showed a which where you can intimidate the New Zealanders
:25:15. > :25:19.tonight and they play them up next and Avignon. If the French have got
:25:20. > :25:22.the muscle and can muscle up in effect and stick it to the New
:25:23. > :25:26.Zealanders, in France with ten, 15,000 fans there, real partisan
:25:27. > :25:29.French people, it is going to be a difficult environment for New
:25:30. > :25:32.Zealand, and I think France do need to lift the game. I think that he
:25:33. > :25:38.will play a whole letter better than that next week. Where do you think
:25:39. > :25:41.PNG can get to in this tournament? They've got to pull their heads out
:25:42. > :25:45.the cloud first. Understanding PNG, it is not a sport, it is a religion,
:25:46. > :25:51.so they need to grow once again and find that energy and move forward.
:25:52. > :26:00.With both group A and Group B under way, it seems a per weak opportunity
:26:01. > :26:05.to explain how the tournament works. Eight This year's competition sees
:26:06. > :26:13.14 teams split into four groups, two of four teams, and two of three.
:26:14. > :26:28.Group A Group
:26:29. > :26:33.B: Group C is:
:26:34. > :26:39.Group D sees former semi-finalists Wales,
:26:40. > :26:45.the cook island in their second World Cup and first timers, the USA
:26:46. > :26:49.Tomahawks. In groups A and B, each team plays each other, but fixtures
:26:50. > :26:53.for the three team groups are made up of each team playing a nation
:26:54. > :26:56.from the other smaller group, so teams from Group C will play one
:26:57. > :27:02.match from teams of group D. Beyond the group stage the competition is a
:27:03. > :27:05.straight knockout. As the four team groups A and B contain many of the
:27:06. > :27:08.higher seeded nations, the quarterfinal line-up is made up of
:27:09. > :27:12.the top three teams from those stronger groups and just the winners
:27:13. > :27:17.of Group C and D. Those last eig meetings will
:27:18. > :27:23.determine the four semi-finalists who will face off in their big hit,
:27:24. > :27:27.a double header at Wembley one team's rugby fantasy will be
:27:28. > :27:31.fulfilled in the final on 30 November.
:27:32. > :27:38.You're absolutely clear on that? You were shaking your head on the C and
:27:39. > :27:41.D bit. England took on Australia after a week marred by squad
:27:42. > :27:47.indiscipline. No doubt Gareth Hock was watching from his sofa, and what
:27:48. > :27:52.an opening game it turned out to be. It begins with a bang. What better
:27:53. > :27:57.than the old foes, Australia against England? There is such a difference
:27:58. > :28:03.between test rugby and normal club rugby. Basics and composure. First
:28:04. > :28:09.real test here. Brilliant. Great play. Now it's
:28:10. > :28:15.Tomkins who is looking to find a gap in the middle here. A penalty for
:28:16. > :28:22.England. Back it goes to - and he choices.
:28:23. > :28:25.They've got a bit of a gap here! The first try of the World Cup 2013.
:28:26. > :28:42.England are up and running! Don't you just love this game?
:28:43. > :28:46.Inside now, George Burgess with a big hit forward. Still going,
:28:47. > :28:48.Burgess, still going. He might have got it overt line.
:28:49. > :29:01.No try. Here comes the six. He goes with the
:29:02. > :29:10.reverse. It is an awkward bounce. It is picked up and touched down. Leroy
:29:11. > :29:28.-- England are into double figures. Given a glimmer back to Australia
:29:29. > :29:42.here. Inglis was up there. Inglis runs it
:29:43. > :29:45.off him and Thurston scores the try. A big arm from Sam Burgess. The
:29:46. > :29:52.crowd are nervous, intense, into this.
:29:53. > :29:57.Cameron Smith across to Thurston and into the gap, flies. Australia have
:29:58. > :30:08.pegged England back. It's a forward pass.
:30:09. > :30:14.A little show and up he goes. It is the England defences chasing.
:30:15. > :30:18.Slater with an absolute smash-and-grab moment. England
:30:19. > :30:22.looking to make some big indentations on this Australian line
:30:23. > :30:25.in the opening moments. It is a thorny 20, Billy Slater has done
:30:26. > :30:30.fantastically well to keep it in play.
:30:31. > :30:35.Just like Slater at the other end but he's not got it in.
:30:36. > :30:43.This is massive here now for England, isn't it? The opening
:30:44. > :30:50.stages of this second half. Here comes Brett mollis for the corner.
:30:51. > :30:57.He does find a way to touch it down. But it is still England ten,
:30:58. > :31:02.Australia 22. Burgess comes on with power and
:31:03. > :31:07.pace. Australia deal with that but they've been bloodid maybe here.
:31:08. > :31:22.The score, the try from George Burgess.
:31:23. > :31:28.It's back on, boys. It's going off here. Westwood is
:31:29. > :31:36.getting involved. Friday has gone down. He stayed
:31:37. > :31:42.down. Eight points points difference. Here
:31:43. > :31:51.we go. Five tackles to Australia to have a go again. Thurston done his -
:31:52. > :31:56.and Slater and over it goes with Darius Boyd.
:31:57. > :32:10.It is gone to ground. He tries the pitch, and Josh, it's a gift. Has he
:32:11. > :32:15.kicked it? He has not. Disappointing in terms of result for England but
:32:16. > :32:21.very, very encouraging in terms of performance.
:32:22. > :32:25.The start to the week was challenging, like I said, we've got
:32:26. > :32:30.a really fantastic group, and the players, the staff, are completely
:32:31. > :32:33.united, and we wanted to go out there and respond and do our very
:32:34. > :32:37.best. We started off great but unfortunately like I said, it is a
:32:38. > :32:41.simple game, Rugby League. If you spill ball and give penalties away,
:32:42. > :32:46.the opposition will hurt you, we will be better for that, and you
:32:47. > :32:49.know, I think people will be against that at - again sat at home thinking
:32:50. > :32:53.England have lost the opportunity for an easy route to the final. I
:32:54. > :32:59.don't think there was ever an easy route in this competition. Hopefully
:33:00. > :33:02.we can pick up some momentum now and hopefully down the track we will get
:33:03. > :33:06.another shot against Australia. I know you want to pick out some
:33:07. > :33:11.fairly key turning points in this match? Yes, I thought the game
:33:12. > :33:17.changed just before half-time, and for our viewers here, they conceded
:33:18. > :33:21.a Billy Slater try. The chase is - chase is going to the blind side.
:33:22. > :33:25.He's brought the referee to the open side. He can be at the base of the
:33:26. > :33:31.scrum. We see Burgess has to go through but he goes late. Slater has
:33:32. > :33:41.already got the run on him, and Burgess can't physically get there.
:33:42. > :33:47.That's just before half-time. You don't agree with this, do you
:33:48. > :33:53.Robbie? I don't think he the whitewash. It might be the Kiwi
:33:54. > :33:57.blood in him. It's me and the linesman more importantly. The best
:33:58. > :34:05.point Robbie makes there was the next play from the scrum it's really
:34:06. > :34:11.close, isn't it? It? Australia scores. In essence, they could have
:34:12. > :34:14.defended that play from the scrum. Two elements of concentration we
:34:15. > :34:17.will be talking about before half-time with an assist from
:34:18. > :34:21.referee to Australia, he doesn't have to stand by the open side
:34:22. > :34:25.there. Is that ones of the keys that England have got to do that full 80
:34:26. > :34:27.minutes if they're going to beat New Zealand, beat Australia. Three
:34:28. > :34:31.things: that element of concentration, and exactly what
:34:32. > :34:34.Steve himself, Steve McNamara said, we have to concentrate for long
:34:35. > :34:39.periods, look after the ball a little bit better in certain times
:34:40. > :34:42.of the game, and be cleaner discipline-wise because you can't
:34:43. > :34:45.give a good team like Australia or any of the good teams that he is
:34:46. > :34:50.going to come against free field position and free time in their own
:34:51. > :34:54.half. Coming into this tournament, there was so much talk about the
:34:55. > :34:56.three Burgess brothers. Probably going into this tournament, most
:34:57. > :35:01.people will have known a lot about Sam, maybe a little bit about Thomas
:35:02. > :35:05.because he played at Bradford but probably hasn't seen George because
:35:06. > :35:10.unless you watched the NRL that's where he has been making moves we.
:35:11. > :35:14.He had a huge impact on this game? He's been impressive in the NRL for
:35:15. > :35:18.Australia. To play as many games as he did on his second season over
:35:19. > :35:25.there, he has done some great things. Scored a lot of tries on the
:35:26. > :35:29.back of what he does. What he does really well is stop-me-if-you-can.
:35:30. > :35:33.He find his front and plays the ball really quickly for a big man. It is
:35:34. > :35:36.a long time since we have had a number of players that could trouble
:35:37. > :35:38.the top teams in the world like Australia and New Zealand with
:35:39. > :35:46.players like this. He's just a big, strong boy, and he's great to watch,
:35:47. > :35:50.complemented by others. I would argue we've uncovered one of this
:35:51. > :35:56.tournament's stars. He was every time he carried the ball forward, he
:35:57. > :36:01.got his nose forward, and he got a quick play to the ball. The NRL has
:36:02. > :36:05.the second quick player of the ball competition, and he's only young.
:36:06. > :36:11.He's only going to get better and better. If you are Steve McNamara,
:36:12. > :36:14.disappointed about the result, but what maybe what would you change
:36:15. > :36:19.looking ahead to the Ireland game? I think James Graham will come back
:36:20. > :36:24.into the mix because Sam Burgess has to go before the judiciary for a
:36:25. > :36:27.slight misdemeanour. I wouldn't be too disappointed. I think that he
:36:28. > :36:30.will be disappointed themselves. They can play a whole lot better.
:36:31. > :36:35.You look at the balance of who is coming on when and how they're doing
:36:36. > :36:39.it but that element of basics that we have seen from most of the top
:36:40. > :36:42.teams this weekend, what is excite exciting is the three top teams have
:36:43. > :36:48.got giant men and stars, and the other teams have got stars for a
:36:49. > :36:52.mouth watering four or five weeks. They really took it too England,
:36:53. > :36:56.took it to Australia and put them on the back foot. What he will want to
:36:57. > :36:59.do is show him that 20 minutes and make it roll over the in connection
:37:00. > :37:06.for the full 80. Two more England games remain, both live on BBC one.
:37:07. > :37:09.Next week, it is Ireland at a sold-out John Smith Stadium in
:37:10. > :37:18.Huddersfield, and the Saturday after, it is England against Fiji at
:37:19. > :37:22.the KC Stadium in Hull. Back to the Millennium Stadium where
:37:23. > :37:27.Australia against England was the appetiser for the Welch as Iestyn
:37:28. > :37:34.Harris's side took on Italy. It was the last live match commentary for
:37:35. > :37:38.the legendary Rae French. This is his last tournament commentating for
:37:39. > :37:50.television, but won't worry, he will still be part of our coverage.
:37:51. > :37:54.A powerful move. Looking for support. It wasn't there.
:37:55. > :37:59.But it's Italy on the attack again. Ten metres now from that line.
:38:00. > :38:03.Dummy. Here's a chance. He's getting down.
:38:04. > :38:19.I think Oh, that's dangerous. Has he got
:38:20. > :38:30.hold of it? Yes. I think he scores. I think Evans is in!
:38:31. > :38:37.A chance here. Can he get it down? Now, then, has he got that down? He
:38:38. > :38:47.is confident it's going to be a try but what does Mr Hain think? He also
:38:48. > :38:51.thinks it is a try. Got to keep it moving. An overlap
:38:52. > :38:57.here. Can he get the ball away? Yes, he can. Inside, inside.
:38:58. > :39:07.That's a good try, that is. A beautiful try! He puts his arm in
:39:08. > :39:13.the air. Ten metres from the line. A nice kick to the corner. It's the
:39:14. > :39:27.anybody's ball. He has got it. I think Elliott Kier has got that ball
:39:28. > :39:41.down. Nasso. He got the ball away
:39:42. > :39:47.beautifully. He's in at the corner. The kick. Has he got it? He has
:39:48. > :39:50.flicked it out beautifully. He flicked it out beautifully and
:39:51. > :40:08.Tedesco touched it down. A good flick wide out here now.
:40:09. > :40:12.Still a beautiful ball. A try and Centrone scores in the left-hand
:40:13. > :40:24.corner. He wants the ball. Switches to the
:40:25. > :40:27.blind side. He did it again. Italy of course beat England in that
:40:28. > :40:31.warm-up game. Could they be the surprise package of this World Cup?
:40:32. > :40:35.I think they already are. Nobody expected Italy to come over to beat
:40:36. > :40:39.England and then beat Wales in the end convincingly. They were the
:40:40. > :40:44.better team by a little bit of a distance, and they've got terrific
:40:45. > :40:48.players, grand finalists. It is important they understand they've
:40:49. > :40:54.got quality in their team. Will Wales be tough here on in for them
:40:55. > :40:59.them? Yes, Iestyn needs to pull them together. They need to be strong in
:41:00. > :41:03.the forward pack. They leaked a couple of easy breaks and tries.
:41:04. > :41:07.They've got talent and Super League experience in their team and they
:41:08. > :41:14.need to work on that and move it forward. There are plenty more great
:41:15. > :41:20.games to come this week. Tonight, an eagerly awaited clash between Fiji
:41:21. > :41:24.and Ireland clash in Rochdale. Tomorrow, Scotland start their
:41:25. > :41:30.campaign against a formidable looking Tonga.
:41:31. > :41:34.What can Scotland achieve in this tournament? I hope we achieve a bit
:41:35. > :41:39.of support. We know we're not going to win the World Cup but we will
:41:40. > :41:42.tell how it is, keep our feet on the ground, finish top of the group and
:41:43. > :41:46.get a quarterfinal spot. I think that will be a pretty successful
:41:47. > :41:51.World Cup for Scotland. There are a lot of quality teams in the World
:41:52. > :41:56.Cup, we've got a bit of known and unknown qualities. So pretty
:41:57. > :42:00.unpredictable at times. We will be going out looking forward to it. If
:42:01. > :42:08.we re, there, we're if we're not, we've gone out fighting.
:42:09. > :42:12.What can your side achieve? We came fourth in the 2008 World Cup which
:42:13. > :42:16.was an amazing achievement for Fiji. Hopefully we can emulate that again.
:42:17. > :42:20.You know, we find ourselves in a very tough pool against Ireland
:42:21. > :42:25.first up, Australia and then England. So, hopefully, we can be
:42:26. > :42:30.one of those three sides. Put in a good showing, and you never know, we
:42:31. > :42:37.can definitely emulate what we did in 2008. Rochdale, there is a strong
:42:38. > :42:41.Fijian community. We're thousands of kilometres away from the Pacific,
:42:42. > :42:46.and the tiny island of Fiji, but there is a strong linkage there. We
:42:47. > :42:50.have had players that went there in the 1960s and created a bit of
:42:51. > :42:53.history there within the town. It was a very humbling experience to go
:42:54. > :42:56.to Rochdale and play there on the weekend. Hopefully, the Rochdale
:42:57. > :42:59.fans will be there to support us against Ireland.
:43:00. > :43:03.Wonderful story, that. You can see the action from all the games on the
:43:04. > :43:08.Rugby League section of the BBC sport website as well as highlights
:43:09. > :43:12.of yesterday's opening ceremony. Some great games in prospect, and,
:43:13. > :43:15.by the way, we want you to Tweet us pictures of when you go to these
:43:16. > :43:30.World Cup games. Send them to: Yes,
:43:31. > :43:33.it's been quite some opening weekend, hasn't it? Breathtaking.
:43:34. > :43:37.Everything we expected. The three big teams, if I am allowed to call
:43:38. > :43:43.them that, England, Australia, New Zealand, have shown their wares and
:43:44. > :43:47.shown the superstars right throughout and we've seen superstars
:43:48. > :43:50.making in the other teams. What are you looking forward to? I am working
:43:51. > :43:55.with BBC Radio tomorrow with Rochdale, looking forward to see
:43:56. > :44:02.what Fiji can offer this World Cup competition. We've seen Italy as
:44:03. > :44:06.dark horses. Who else? I think Fiji have to be mentioned. They've got a
:44:07. > :44:09.host of NRL players that go throughout their team, so I think
:44:10. > :44:13.they're ones to look at, and obviously we highlighted there
:44:14. > :44:17.Scotland, keep your eye there as well. If we can keep up with the
:44:18. > :44:23.quality, we're in for a fair few weeks. We've not mentioned the
:44:24. > :44:29.Tongan is who have a terrific team. If it is anything like the game
:44:30. > :44:33.we've seen this afternoon over at Warrington, wow, watch out. We will
:44:34. > :44:36.be back with highlights each Sunday night of the tournament. Don't
:44:37. > :44:40.forget there is a rather tasty looking match live this Saturday.
:44:41. > :44:48.Let's hope they can keep it up like this. See you next week.