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In his BBC Sport column, England captain George Williams discusses the disappointment following the first Test loss at Wembley against Australia, as well as the desire to improve in game two at Hill Dickinson Stadium.
The aches and pains of Saturday’s game at Wembley might have started to fade but the disappointment of losing takes a bit longer to drift away.
We didn’t really give the best account of ourselves. Australia are a quality team. We showed some good signs and missed a few opportunities and they took theirs. At that level, you get stung pretty quickly if you don’t concentrate and don’t take your chances, and I think that’s what happened.
They are a good team, but we also believe that we can match it with them. I reckon if we’d gone in 6-6 at half-time, or even 6-4 down, it could have been a totally different game. I thought in the first half we had our chances; in the second half, they were a lot more clinical and better than us. I also don’t think the scoreline reflected the game, but that shows the quality that we’re playing against.
We put a lot of effort, time and energy into preparing for that Test and we just didn’t get it right, unfortunately. We brought some physicality to some stages of the game but in other moments we just missed the boat, so there has been loads to work on.
The good thing we’ve got two more cracks at it.
Rugby League Ashes
25 October, 1 November, 8 November
Wembley, Hill Dickinson Stadium, AMT Headingley
Watch all three Tests live on BBC One, BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website and app
Taking positives from a tough day
SWPIXIt wasn’t as though the pace of the game was too fast, as we had an English referee in Liam Moore last weekend, so it was what we were used to.
It was probably just more the quality of the players we were up against that was the difference.
We’re going to take some positives from it. I know there’s going to be a lot of negativity around us especially when you look at the scoreline.
It’s been difficult for us all because we put a big emphasis on that first Test. It’s been in the pipeline for a long time. We wanted to give a better account of ourselves.
If we’d have played our best and been beaten, it would maybe not have been so painful. I don’t know which one’s more disheartening, to be honest.
We believe we’ve got lots of improvement. No doubt they’ll improve again. We feel like we can give a better account of ourselves and we’ll see where that takes us.
England still believe
We reviewed the game on Sunday morning. There were plenty of negatives, but also a lot of positives that we finished on as a group. We need to erase Saturday from our memory now because over the past three or four years we’ve built a good foundation, a good belief within the group.
No-one gave us a chance before the first game, and the defeat was quite convincing in the end, so I can see why some critics are writing us off. But we do believe – and you can call us deluded – that we can turn this around. We’re the privileged ones in the position to be able to do that.
We’re not sulking. It’s a great opportunity for us all to fight back and go again on Saturday with a full stadium at Everton.
We’re ready to get back on the horse because if we start feeling sorry for ourselves against that opposition, it’ll be a lot uglier than it was on Saturday.
This weekend, we’ve really got to take it to Australia. We’ve got no second chance this time round, so anything but our best won’t be good enough, as we saw last weekend. It’s the challenge for the group.
England fans: Bring the noise
swpixI might be a Liverpool fan but I’m really looking forward to this trip to Everton’s Hill Dickinson Stadium. It’ll be brilliant.
I’ve been fortunate enough to play at Anfield, the Emirates and the Nou Camp. I’ve got a couple of great stadiums on my list, so it’d be nice to tick this one off.
As players, you want to be involved in the biggest occasions. It’s a sellout. I’m really looking forward to it. I’ve seen the stadium on TV, so it would be good to play there and experience it.
Wembley had a big crowd and the atmosphere was good but we know Everton could be even better. It’s close to St Helens, Widnes, Wigan, Warrington – all places where they’re really passionate about rugby league.
We’re really looking forward to running out there. It’s been sold out for ages so we know that fans are buzzing for the opportunity to go.
Let’s hope they make lots of noise and make it hostile for Australia.
