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We won't just slavishly copy the Aussies
RICHARD LEWIS will fight any attempts to dilute Super League's distinct identity by aping the Australian style of play as a response to England's calamitous World Cup campaign.
Click here to read John Ledger's World Cup briefing.
The Rugby Football League's executive chairman also insisted he has not lost faith in coach Tony Smith despite England having experienced their worst showing in the tournament's 54-year history.
England bowed out of the World Cup with a 32-22 semi-final defeat by New Zealand in Brisbane on Saturday, a result which means they failed to beat any of the major rugby league-playing nations for the first time.
Smith's team only just got the better of a predominantly part-time Papua New Guinea, conceded 142 points in their four matches, crashed to World Cup record defeat at the hands of
Australia and will leave Brisbane over the next few days as laughing stocks.
England struggled with the different rule interpretations that are applied Down Under, particularly those which apply to the play-the-ball, while too many players were unable to reproduce the form they displayed with their Super League clubs.
The dire nature of England's performance has offered compelling evidence that the gap between Europe and Australia has begun to widen again, but Lewis launched a vehement defence of both Super League and Smith following Saturday's defeat.
"Week-in, week out in Super League we see outstanding skill levels," said Lewis. "We haven't seen it in this World Cup, we've been found wanting, but I do feel very strongly we mustn't just slavishly follow the way the Australians play the game.
"We have to look after our own sport and grow our sport because one of the key issues for us is to get more people playing the game and more young talent, and we are succeeding in doing that.
"We're doing something right and I don't think for one second we should slavishly follow the Australians.
"There are different interpretations. I don't want that in any shape or form to come across as an excuse but it is different, and we have to work out a way that's right for the sport.
"It's a sport that's growing in popularity rapidly in England and I think that's because it's been a good spectacle and exciting to watch, whether for TV viewers or fans in the stadium, and I don't want us to move away from that, it's a very fundamental principle.
"But as Tony has said, we have to look at and think through what we need to do to be successful at international level, not at the expense of Super League but building on the strengths of Super League, and beating the Kiwis and the Australians."
On Smith, Lewis said the former Leeds and Huddersfield coach, who has been linked with the coaching vacancy at Parramatta, would be a key figure in the process of rebuilding the national team's shattered reputation.
"He's got a huge role to play in the debrief of what's happened here and he's got a huge role to play in setting the record straight when we have a Four Nations in the northern hemisphere in 2009," said Lewis.
"He's an outstanding coach, he's respected throughout the sport, and I respect him hugely as a coach and as a person. I think he's got a very big role to play for the future of the sport."
England made too many fundamental errors both on Saturday and throughout the whole tournament. In the semi-final they repeatedly spilled the ball in dangerous positions, missed crucial tackles and failed to make the most of the chances they created against a New Zealand team that was there for the taking.
After falling 16-0 behind inside the opening 22 minutes, England clawed their way back to within six points of the Kiwis on three occasions only to hit the self-destruct button each time with costly mistakes by Paul Wellens and Ade Gardner.
The dire quality of England's back line – Keith Senior and Martin Gleeson were the only players to emerge with their reputations intact – highlighted the paucity of options open to Smith but the Australian insisted standards were improving in Super League.
"I've said it all through this campaign and will do for a long time yet: we need more depth in our ranks and more people pushing each other and that produces more competition for spots," said Smith.
"I think we're on the right road in many ways in Super League because our competition's evening up, it's getting more competitive every week and that forces players to play to a higher level throughout the season. The days of having soft games are gone. We need to continue along those lines because I think we're on the right track and then we'll hopefully compete on the international stage because of it."
Smith also reaffirmed his commitment to see out the remaining year of his contract with the RFL.
"Coaches like challenges, it's always a challenge," he said. "Coaches have to be tough as well, and learn from it, and make decisions, learn from each game and all that. They don't go running away very often."
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Saturday 26 May 2012
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