Shaun Wane requires herculean Ashes effort after England’s Wembley mauling
The scoreline alone offers concrete evidence of how underwhelming England were against Australia in the first Ashes Test on Saturday, but if anyone needed further proof, a glimpse around the Wembley crowd was somewhat telling, too.As a one-sided contest ebbed towards a predictable conclusion, there were cheers among those sitting near the press box.Not for an England try, but for a paper aeroplane crafted by a home supporter that had successfully made its way from the top of one tier on to the pitch.It was about the only thing that went right for those of an English persuasion.The beauty of a three-Test series is that no matter what happens in the first match there is an opportunity to bounce back.
But, conversely, England are already in must-win territory after their 26-6 defeat and the odds feel worryingly stacked against them going into next weekend’s second Test at Everton’s new ground.There was no shortage of effort from England and the promise that they would be motivated going into a first Ashes series in 22 years could not be questioned.But there was a critical lack of quality at any stage of the contest, which means Shaun Wane, the head coach, is surely going to have to make changes to try to keep the series alive.“We felt like we were off the mark, so there’s a lot to work on,” the England prop Mike McMeeken said.“We were going toe-to-toe with them early on but they’re pretty clinical.
Any opportunity they get, they seem to take it.”Jack Welsby’s longstanding position as England full-back feels under threat.He has had a difficult season for St Helens but had credit in the bank with Wane, so much so that he was a guaranteed starter at Wembley.But England have brought the former Queensland star AJ Brimson – who was 18th man on Saturday – halfway around the world after he switched his allegiance from Australia.To omit him again next weekend would be a grave error after Welsby underwhelmed in this Test.
There will surely have to be tweaks elsewhere too, given the worrying lack of enforcement or aggression from England’s middles, of the kind we have been used to in recent years from players such as Sam Burgess and James Graham.What Wane would give for either of those two in his side next weekend.Canberra’s Morgan Smithies is the closest candidate to come in.What will also serve as a great disappointment for Wane and his men is that the biggest crowd for an Ashes Test in the United Kingdom were given little to cheer.Wembley was incredibly flat, with England struggling to deliver on the big occasion.
“We’re disappointed with the result and the scoreline on a day like this,” McMeeken said.“Sixty thousand here, a pretty big crowd, and we feel like we haven’t lived up to the potential and the occasion.”Sign up to Sport in FocusSign up to Sport in Focusafter newsletter promotionFor London-born Kai Pearce-Paul, the feeling of frustration was even greater.“It was an amazing week and event to be a part of, but the reality is that we didn’t play to how we practised,” he said.“It wasn’t good enough; let’s not pretend anything otherwise.
But this isn’t done,It’s game one and, while we weren’t up to the standard required, we’ll go again,”England will have to go again, and they will have to up their levels significantlyin the next Test,Saturday was perceived to be the hosts’ best shot of victory with the feeling that they could catch the Australians cold in the opening match,Ominously, the Kangaroos have had their loosener now and there is little doubt they will be even better at Hill Dickinson Stadium.
The harsh reality is that the tourists never really got out of second gear on Saturday.Throw in the prospect of a referee from Australia’s National Rugby League taking charge – meaning faster rucks, something the tourists are used to – and it all points to a tall order for England in the second Test.Wane has to respond and he has to make some difficult decisions.
Trump sanctions have swift impact but will world stop buying Russian oil and gas?
Donald Trump’s stated mission to broker peace in Ukraine could come down to this simple question: can the US president convince the world to stop buying Russia’s fossil fuels?Last week, Trump imposed sanctions on Russia’s two largest oil companies, Rosneft and Lukoil, in an effort to damage Moscow’s ability to fund its war machine.Tom Keatinge, the founding director of the Centre for Finance and Security (CFS) at the defence thinktank Rusi, said: “The US has been more effective in 24 hours than the EU has been in the last six months. Trump is willing to say what many others are too timid or too diplomatic to say out loud. For the longest time people have been calling for Trump to pull out the sanctions hammer. It could be very significant
Peer trying to derail UK smoking ban discussed bill with relative at tobacco firm
A member of the House of Lords who is trying to derail the generational ban on tobacco sales discussed the legislation with a family member who is “very high up” at British American Tobacco (BAT).Lord Strathcarron is proposing amendments that would scrap the central provision of the tobacco and vapes bill, originally proposed by Rishi Sunak’s government.If the bill is passed in its original form, the UK would become only the second country to implement a so-called generational smoking ban, making it illegal to sell tobacco to anyone born after 2008.Strathcarron’s proposal is to simply raise the legal purchase age from 18 to 21.The change proposed by the peer, who in a recent speech in the Lords described cigars as “harmless”, mirrors BAT’s lobbying position
Fare game: what the battle between taxis and Uber means for your airport trip in Sydney and Melbourne
By the time you’ve exited the plane, edged through passport control and endured the baggage claim wait, your only thought may be of home or a hotel bed. But passengers at Australia’s major airports have recently noticed some changes as they contemplate the final leg of their journey.Since Friday, in a bid to deter illegal touts, a new taxi booking trial at Melbourne airport has allowed some passengers to pay a fixed fare upfront. And next month, Sydney airport will begin its own one-year trial of a $60 flat fare for the 13km journey to the CBD.The changes, supported by the taxi industry, are a sign of its struggle to remain competitive with the rideshare companies – especially Uber
Amazon strategised about keeping its datacentres’ full water use secret, leaked document shows
Executives at world’s biggest datacenter owner grappled with disclosing information about water used to help power facilitiesAmazon strategised about keeping the public in the dark over the true extent of its datacentres’ water use, a leaked internal document reveals.The biggest owner of datacentres in the world, Amazon dwarfs competitors Microsoft and Google and is planning a huge increase in capacity as part of a push into artificial intelligence. The Seattle firm operates hundreds of active facilities, with many more in development despite concerns over how much water is being used to cool their vast arrays of circuitry.Amazon defends its approach and has taken steps to manage how efficient its water use is, but it has faced criticism over transparency. Microsoft and Google regularly publish figures for their water consumption, but Amazon has never publicly disclosed how much water its server farms consume
Saracens’ Noah Caluori called up by England for autumn internationals
Noah Caluori, the 19-year-old Saracens wing, has been named in England’s autumn internationals squad by Steve Borthwick.Caluori burst on to the Prem scene by scoring five tries against Sale on 18 October and, as England gear up for a busy November featuring four Tests, Borthwick has called up the uncapped youngster after initially inviting him to a training camp last week. The 36-player squad, including 19 forwards and 17 backs, gathered at Pennyhill Park in Surrey on Sunday night.Caluori made his second Prem start for Saracens in the defeat by table-topping Northampton on Friday. He had a considerably quieter night than the phenomenal display against Sale, and was given a severe defensive test by the Saints’ all-court attacking game
New York Jets legend Nick Mangold dies aged 41 while seeking kidney transplant
Nick Mangold, a hugely popular player during his 11-season career with the New York Jets, has died at the age of 41.Earlier this month, Mangold said he had been undergoing dialysis and needed a kidney transplant. He sought help from fans of the Jets and Ohio State, where he was a star in college.“In 2006, I was diagnosed with a genetic defect that has led to chronic kidney disease. After a rough summer, I’m undergoing dialysis as we look for a kidney transplant,” he wrote at the time
The world dropped the ball on critical minerals and China pounced. Is it too late for Australia and the US to close the gap?
‘If you use chocolate, you’re in crisis’: the surprise ingredients being used to beat costs
Buy now, pay later holiday purchases leaving travellers exposed to losses
Co-op staff told to boost promotion of vapes after costly cyber-attack, document shows
Wall Street and FTSE 100 hit record highs after US inflation report fuels interest rate cut hopes – as it happened
Nigel Farage seeks influence over Bank of England in same vein as Trump and US Federal Reserve