William Eve wrote:
Is this the same Sinfield who was very ordinary at international level?
Who cost us the semi final of the World Cup with two huge errors - failing to find touch with a kick followed very soon after by sprinting out of the defensive line allowing Johnson an easy jink, skip and run to an open tryline for the winning score?
His exemplary SL career never translated on to the international stage because there's a huge gap in intensity and playing standards between the two.
England would still be out of the 4N with him in charge.
You are correct in the fact that the gap between Australia and England is big, and was particularly big around the time Sinfield was in his prime. As a Half playing behind a beaten pack on most occasions and far inferior back line to work with, it is always going to be difficult for a player with the skill set of Sinfield to make an impression on games. He is not a maverick who can come up with a wow play from nowhere no matter the game situation like Johnson for NZ.
We all laud the likes of Thurston, Cronk, Lockyer, Johns etc..etc.. and rightly so, they are great players but when their pack is living up to it's billing every time and setting the platform and they have a conveyor belt of superb ATG back options to use it makes things a hell of a lot easier! Put Sinfield in those teams and we would have seen the view of him change imo.
Sinfield wasn't outstanding at international level on the whole, but held his own in a time when we were very poor as a team and The rare occasions we did match up Sinfield was at the fore, the 2009 and 2011 four nations for example where we beat the kiwis to get to both finals he was MOM. and for me, he was very good during the 2013 WC despite you being hyper critical about the end when many other things could be picked out for England's demise in that last few minutes, you forgot to mention he was one of Englands best before that in that very game...the great ball to put Watkins in and the pass to Burgess over the top?