Wayne Bennett wanted a test for England in their preparation for the World Cup and while he certainly got that in Campbelltown he will also have drawn much encouragement from his side’s performance.
There was no sugar-coating England’s below-par performances in last autumn’s Four Nations, making this an important step for the national side on the road to this year’s World Cup.
England, seeking a real challenge to stiffen them in anticipation for the tournament, had opted for a whistle-stop trip to Sydney rather than a game on home territory against weaker opposition. It looks to have been a wise move.
The Samoans, fifth in the world rankings, were widely expected to cause problems. While they did that in fits and bursts, the England coach will have been delighted with what was, for the most part, an accomplished and polished performance.
In the first 40 minutes, England were near-faultless. That they led 14-0 was no less than they deserved with notable performances across the park. Sam Burgess looked back to his imposing best after an off-colour Four Nations, James Graham supported him ably in the front-row while Josh Hodgson, the former Hull KR hooker and now with Cronulla, led the way with ball in hand.
The opening moments set the tone for what would follow. England forced an error from the physically imposing Samoans before a superb pass from Sean O’Loughlin – who produced an impressive display on his return as captain – allowed Ryan Hall to cross for his 34th try in as many Tests.
Luke Gale converted and later added a penalty to make it 8-0. Another piece of attacking brilliance carved open the Samoans again. This time Stefan Ratchford was the beneficiary after a good pass from Gale in the build-up.
To their credit, Samoa were much improved in the second half. England’s impressive first-half display was built on a largely error-free performance, but when Ratchford was bundled into touch shortly after the break, Samoa responded when Joey Leilua broke England’s line to cross.
England quelled any hope of a comeback when Hodgson finished another fine attacking move and after Anthony Milford scored a late try Graham’s robust display was capped with a try of his own. Jermaine McGillvary then rounded off the scoring and an encouraging display for Bennett as the focus now switches to the World Cup.
