'Some fantastic rugby, but we can improve': Shaun Wane on England RL series win over Samoa

Three Tests against world champions Australia will reveal how good Wane’s team really is, but there is a lot to like about the current England squad and the way they have gone about their business since the agonising defeat to Samoa in a World Cup semi-final two years ago.

That was the last time England lost a game and, while mid-season victories over France don’t mean much, successive series whitewashes of Tonga last year and now Samoa suggest Wane can plan ahead with a degree of confidence.

After both this autumn’s games, a 34-18 win at Wigan in the opener and 34-16 Headingley victory on Saturday, Wane has stressed the performance wouldn’t be enough to beat Australia.

“There’s areas we need to get better,” he stressed after wrapping up the series. “We know what we are capable of, we know we need to improve.”

A perfectionist, Wane felt too many points were scored in both games, but he was also quick to praise his men for not only getting the job done, but also doing it in good style.

“Winning [the series] 2-0, is an absolute credit to our players and staff and how hard they have worked,” he stated. There was some fantastic rugby, especially the first Test.”

England scored six tries in each Test. On Saturday, a brace of those went to centre Herbie Farnworth, who plays for Australian club Dolphins and was England’s best player across the two matches.

“Herbie was really, really good,” said Wane. ”In both games, he has been outstanding. I am glad he is English!”

Samoa’s coach Ben Gardiner is an assistant at four-time NRL champions Penrith Panthers, so well placed to judge England’s chances next year. He said: “The England team are very strong, I think it’ll be a great tour.

“It’s a strong Australia against a really strong England team, they should be great Test matches.”

Samoa are in a rebuilding phase following their World Cup final appearance and Gardiner accepted an “excellent” England team deserved both victories. But he felt hard done to over a crucial incident in the first half at Headingley.

England were leading 8-6 when Samoa centre Junior Pauga was sin-binned, harshly it appeared, for a foul on John Bateman.

The hosts scored two tries against 12 men and Gardiner felt the yellow card was “pretty crucial”.

He said: “In any game a sin-binning is going to have an impact. I thought at first it was for a crusher tackle; I asked Junior and he was told he was sin-binned for a high tackle.

“He made impact with the player with his hip, not his arm. The impact was hip to head, accidental impact with no malice in it, I haven’t seen that sin-binned in the past.

“A freak incident like that, Junior should’ve been given the benefit of the doubt. The player [Bateman] got up after the incident and played on, no problem at all.”

England would probably still have won, but it may have been a more tense afternoon had Samoa kept 13 players on the field throughout.

Instead, George Williams’ footwork took him over the line in the set from the penalty and then Matty Ashton dived in from Smith’s long pass.

England added a fourth try moments after Pauga’s return, when Farnworth stormed on to Welsby’s pass for a splendid long-range touchdown which Harry Smith improved to make it 22-6 at the break.

Smith was excellent in the halves, alongside Williams and the pivots made the most of the ground gained by a dominant pack performance.

England showed respect to Samoa by taking two points from an early penalty goal and were generally on top until the tourists took the lead after 12 minutes, through Shawn Blore.

Debutant Liam Marshall’s dancing feet got England over the line to restore their lead before the yellow card, but 16 points was a healthy half-time advantage.

Samoa did threaten a fightback when Tago scored just three minutes after the resumption, Pauga converting, but Farnworth came up with another terrific finish and then blasted clear to put Welsby in.

Smith took his goals tally to five and Samoa had the final say with a Jeremiah Nanai try as England got scrappy late on. That - and conceding six tries in two Tests - gives Wane something to work on next time his players get together, but overall, the outlook is positive.

England: Welsby, Ashton, Newman, Farnworth, Marshall, Williams, Smith, Havard, Clark, Lees, Bateman, Nsemba, Radley. Subs Lewis, Knowles, McMeeken, Thompson.

Samoa: Tuivasa-Sheck, Skelton, Tago, Pauga, Mariner, Seuala-Talagi, Luai, Molo, Tevaga, May, Blore, Nanai, Leilua. Subs Sasagi, Palasia, Vaalepu, Chan Kum Tong.

Referee: Chris Kendall (England). Attendance: 16,068.