Dave Craven: England must be relentless in quest to halt Kangaroos

Adorning the walls of their team meeting room at Loughborough University they are a constant reminder of the principles they must strive to achieve.

Each can certainly be attributed to the inspiring success of Steve McNamara’s side over New Zealand which has seen optimism rise markedly ahead of tomorrow’s Elland Road final.

The first two are givens when it comes to a determined England team containing the likes of such warriors as Jamie Peacock, Gareth Ellis, Kevin Sinfield and Adrian Morley.

However, it is the last buzzword which must crucially be attained if they are to achieve their aim of overcoming the Australians.

Only a relentless approach, one which, unfortunately, has not been there for the last four decades, will relegate their foes to the role of losers. If England have that persistent drive for 80 minutes, continuously making life difficult for their rivals, they know they have the armoury to capitalise.

It is another big ‘if’ and it is hard not to envisage the famed Kangaroos doing just enough to get home once more especially when looking back at this fixture’s history.

Apparently, and the maths have been done, since 1990 alone there have been 12 successive occasions where England or Great Britain has been in this stomach-churning position they face tomorrow.

You know the one. That tantalising time where everyone realises a solitary victory, just 80 minutes of sweat, toil and endeavour, is all that stands between them and ending that irksome wait for a meaningful success over the old enemy.

As a wide-eyed youngster, 1990 was the first Test series I watched between Great Britain and the Kangaroos, first captivated by the sheer presence of Mal Meninga, whose giant physique made the Incredible Hulk look like someone suffering from an eating disorder.

Winning at Wembley was great but by the time they retaliated, first in those desperate final moments of the second Test at Old Trafford when time seemed to stand still as Ricky Stuart scampered away, and then when they narrowly confirmed a series success at Elland Road, the feelings of despair were ingrained.

It was quite alarming to realise there have been a dozen chances since that year to overcome them – and each has been lost.

Talking earlier this week to some wary national journalists who have covered each of those matches since 1990 – the ’92 World Cup final, the second and third Tests of the ’94 series, the ’95 World Cup final, the third Test in ’97 to name a few – you can understand how they are unwilling to pin too much faith on England’s chances regardless of the current positive vibe.

Seeing a fancied Great Britain side trailing 38-0 at half-time in a Tri Nations final, which happened during 40 almost-perfect Darren Lockyer-inspired minutes at Leeds seven years ago, is enough to keep all feet firmly on the ground.

But for all their unflappable dominance in vital deciders against this nation, let us not forget Australia have succumbed to New Zealand in three major finals since 2005 alone.

What were the keys to those triumphs? Honest, united and relentless performances.

Three little words which can amount to one gargantuan feat.