Rugby League World Cup Betting: Lack of time is the battle facing England's very own Mr Who

Internationals / Ralph Ellis / 24 October 2008 / Leave a Comment

England may be second favourites for the World Cup but they're a long way from Australia and time has not been on coach Tony Smith's side, says Ralph Ellis.

You know it's still relatively early in Tony Smith's career as an international coach when you Google him - and the first entry that comes up is for a sculptor from New Jersey. Unless England's Rugby League coach has got an interesting hobby we don't know about, of course!

In the real world Smith has got some different sculpting to do these next few weeks - to mould together a team in double quick time that can upset Australia in their own back yard to win a World Cup. And if Graham Taylor reckons managing England's football team is 'the impossible job', then that's nothing compared to what Smith has got to do.

His pedigree is excellent, of course. Since he started coaching with Huddersfield Giants and took them back into the Super League he's had fairly instant success with Leeds Rhinos and then again when he stepped up to take charge of the Great Britain side and whitewashed New Zealand.

But a World Cup is a different matter, and it's hard to justify England's status as [7.2] second favourites to win the trophy - and certainly not [1.75] to be winners without Australia.

The problem he's got is the one that confronts so many international managers - lack of time. England's squad was pretty much thrown together at the end of a hectic season, and couldn't start working as quickly as they wanted while they waited for 15 players from Leeds Rhinos and St Helens to finish the Super League's Grand Final.

It's an issue picked up this morning by Jason Robinson, a league legend who switched codes and won the Rugby Union World Cup in Australia in 2003. That side were brought together across six months of intensive work under Sir Clive Woodward, and had laid the groundwork for their epic triumph by winning on tour in both New Zealand and Australia in the summer before Jonny Wilkinson's magic moment with the last kick of the final.

Robinson tells The Sun: "We spent almost six months together, so that gives you a lot of time and games to get prepared. This England team took on Wales before they flew out and at that stage we still didn't know what the team would be in Townsville for the opening match. Our players have a lot to offer... but there isn't much time to bring everything together."

Robinson is also warning that the opening fixture against Papua New Guinea could be an accident waiting to happen. He thinks the Pool One minnows, with Hull KR forward Stanley Gene among their ranks, are dangerous - especially in 90 degree heat and stifling humidity. Papua New Guinea plus 16.5 points is available this morning at a juicy price of [5.1] and that shouldn't be discounted as Smith's side find their way.

England are an unbackable [1.02] to win the match, and [1.04] to lay. You'd only think about opposing them if the bloke from New Jersey was really in charge - and turned them into statues!

Five things you might not know about Tony Smith...

1. Born in Lismore, New South Wales, he played rugby league for Illawarra Steelers and St George Dragons in Australia.

2. When he came to England at the start of Super League to play for Workington, he lived with his wife in a flat above a fish and chip shop called The Blue Dolphin. "We stank of chips wherever we went," he says

3. He started coaching as assistant to eldest brother Brian at Parramatta near Sydney where they reached the semi finals of the National League play-offs

4. He got his first job at Huddersfield after paying his own air fare to fly over for the interview

5. He has banned England's players from staying on in Australia for holidays after the competition to insist they stay focused on winning