The first England rugby league test of the two-game series resulted in a comfortable victory over Samoa.
George Williams starred as the side recorded a 34-18 victory in the first fixture between the two nations since semi-final heartbreak in 2022.
There were some moments of quality from the away side, but they were ultimately not good enough against Shaun Wane’s team.
Following this fixture, fans have reacted to the performance.
England rugby league fans react to performance against Samoa
Overall, people didn’t see it as too impressive, as Samoa didn’t look particularly impressive.
James Start said: “6/10. I thought Samoa were poor in the first half, didn’t really put us under much pressure and gave away too many penalties. I think the second test will be better for them.”
Shaun Mitchell, similarly, added: “Samoa didn’t put up much of a battle. They looked like they used to years ago. Just wanting to do big hits & have a fight. Very poor kicking game & looked like they were just going through the motions. Hopefully, they put up a better performance in second test.”
However, some saw praisable attributes from the performance, and Daniel Gaz Holland said: “I’d give them an 8 – they were good, the backs are great. The forwards a 7.
“English Rugby League needs to stop signing second rate Aus and NZ players and put some money into their juniors. If I was in charge of a Super League club, I would only sign 3 players from the NRL, and they would have to be current test players.”
Others pointed to the fact England are still short of Australia, with Shaun Wane also referring back to the World Champions as he claimed that it was a performance that ‘would not trouble Australia’.
Dane Millerd said similar, noting: “Samoa were missing players. England are nowhere near Australia and their best hope is a home ref.”
In addition, Harold Skelton argued: “If that’s the best England have, they will bow out at the semis again at the next World Cup.
“The amount of Samoan and other Polynesian talent coming out of Australia and New Zealand is crazy, while it seems our talent is diminishing.”
🔥 VICTORY for #EnglandRL in the first @ABKbeer test series match! pic.twitter.com/haO9oxRCMY
— England Rugby League (@England_RL) October 27, 2024