Connect with us

Super League

Tony Smith says it’s England’s responsibility to “nurture” France and other nations

Hull FC Head Coach Tony Smith

Many questioned the value of England’s win over France but former England coach and current Hull FC boss Tony Smith explained how it will have been beneficial for England.

He suggested that putting their skills and structures to the test in a competitive match will have been beneficial for the side.

He said on Sky Sports: “They played within their skillsets. They didn’t push it too far and it was attractive to watch but once again unless you practice that in games you won’t become great so as a country we have got to play more and more.”

Speaking of playing more, he also said it was important that England played France more believing that it is England’s duty to nurture them going forward:

“I can understand that. I think they need to do more to raise their levels and they need discussions about that but what are we going to do? Leave them out in the cold?

“If we really want to have a Northern Hemisphere team to compete against, we need to help them along, we have to nurture them.

“Maybe we need to play at younger levels and give them some exposure. They have some fantastic athletes in the country we just have to get them to the highest level.

“I wouldn’t leave them out to dry.”

Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Must See

More in Super League