Nine different players tried for England as they easily won against Fiji in Salford on Friday night; Newcastle Knights winger Dom Young made a big impact in his first appearance for Shaun Wane’s side
Last Updated: 07/10/22 10:57 pm
Dom Young tried his hand at making an impressive debut for England
England showed their muscles ahead of the Rugby World Cup with a 50-0 win over Fiji in their warm-up clash at AJ Bell Stadium on Friday.
There were nine different goalscorers as Shaun Wane’s men comfortably avoided repeating the shock of a 15-14 defeat to Italy at AJ Bell Stadium in their final World Cup prep at home in 2013. .
Head coach Wane knows it’s going to be a different story as his side come up against the strength of Samoa in their league opener in Newcastle next Saturday but, on a wet night in Salford, there is many things pleased him, not just the performance of blockbuster winger Dom Young.
The 22-year-old former Huddersfield Giants man scored one goal and scored two more before half-time to send him into the league opener at St James’ Park.
Fiji, who have former Featherstone Rovers coaches James Webster and Brian McDermott on their coaching staff, have reached the semi-finals in each of the last three tournaments but will need drastic improvement if they are to run into trouble. against Australia in the opening match next Saturday.
They were rarely able to penetrate England’s watertight defence and their misery was compounded by injuries to Brandon Wakeham, Joseph Ratuvakacereivalu and Kylen Miller.
Wane took 18 members of his strong 24-player World Cup squad, including his strong NRL team, and supplemented it with four fringe players to give those who didn’t. attend the Finals a precious match.
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Early signs were good for England, as unarmored Andy Ackers broke through and full-back Jack Welsby caused all sorts of problems with his deft play.
Ryan Hall and Herbie Farnworth’s mishandling missteps in slippery conditions let the Fijians see their opponent’s defence, but England’s defense was solid and as soon as they found a groove, it was a run to.
Young was denied early on but nothing stopped the Newcastle Knights man 14th minute when he accepted Welsby’s pass to open the scoring in the corner. Marc Sneyd missed a chance to convert, but his accuracy quickly returned as England began to try.
The Ackers benefited from a superb offload by supporter Luke Thompson to cap his impressive start with a try and Young made final passes to get past Kallum Watkins and George Williams before second rower Elliott Whitehead collected Sneyd’s chips through the Fiji defense for his team’s fifth attempt before halftime, when England led 28-0.
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With an eye next week, Wane’s withdrawal from Welsby was influential at half-time, with Liam Marshall being run at full-back, but nothing changed to the pattern of the game.
Thompson put in Sneyd’s hammer kick to give England the advantage in the second minute and Mike McMeeken and Mike Cooper took advantage of some light defense to break through to try to continue. customary.
England lost cohesion as Wane began to empty the rest of the bench and the only effort came from record goalscorer Ryan Hall, who picked up Marshall’s pass to make it past the seven-minute corner. end of the game.
Wane: A great first game for Young
England manager Wane paid tribute to Young after watching him score one try and set up two more as his side clinched a resounding win over Fiji.
Dom Young wins plaudits from Shaun Wane after starring in England’s win over Fiji
With right winger Tommy Makinson set to face Samoa after being rested in the warm-up match, Young is said to be vying with veteran Ryan Hall for the spot on the left and Wane says his mind he has been decided, revealing that the former Huddersfield player took “a good chance”.
“I think Dom is very good,” Wane said. “He has a strong grip and his skills are very good. Overall, it was a great first game for him.
“He’s done some excellent things with Newcastle this year but what impressed me most was his execution – that made it difficult for Fiji. He was also fantastic in the camp, he was. good integration, I was very impressed with him.
“It definitely made my selection more difficult. This week is going to be a good week, I’m looking forward to it. All three are great wingers, that’s my job. [to pick two]must win that game next Saturday. “
Shaun Wane pleased with England’s performance against Fiji
England took a 28-8 lead at halftime and, although they lost some cohesion after Wane vacated the rest of the bench, the coach was pleased with the performance. and said the team was not injured.
“It’s impressive that the conditions and the players don’t get to know each other so well,” Wane said. “Some of the skills we showed were really impressive.
“Our defense is very good. They are a physically fit team, although I know they were missing a few balls, but we were very patient with the ball.”
