The Rugby League Ashes’ Player of the Series has had his say on England’s performance, including what went wrong and why there’s room for optimism ahead of the 2026 World Cup.
England will head into that Rugby League World Cup without any warm-up game in all likelihood, meaning Saturday’s 30-8 loss to Australia in the third and final Ashes Test could be the last time they play before next year’s tournament begins.
One man who is expected to light up that World Cup, as he did the Ashes, is Australia’s number six Cam Munster with the Melbourne Storm star named as the Player of the Series. Speaking post-match on BBC, Munster heaped praise on rugby league in England and explained how the final score was harsh, with Australia scoring three tries in the final 18 minutes.
“I don’t think the scoreline is very reflective of the game. We got pretty lucky at times but that’s footy,” he explained.
“I just think the atmosphere is so good, and how good is rugby league in England? I’m very fortunate to be here.”
He also called for more growth, adding: “I know NRL is talking to Super League, and hopefully we can build that bridge and bring some Englishmen over to NRL.
“I know we’ve had some greats come over here like yourself (James Graham) and Sammy (Burgess), and hopefully we can bring some more over because some of these boys over here, they’ve got some class footy in them.”
England to be “scary” at 2026 World Cup if spine issues are solved, claims Aussie star
Expanding on that “class footy” comment, Munster was asked what it was that England had lacked and rather than answer that, he diplomatically chose to explain why Australia had been strong.
“We’ve been pretty fortunate with our spine, we haven’t really jumbled a whole heap,” the Storm star said.
“We’ve been lucky enough to transition in the last couple of years and when you have a spine coming through, you’ve got to be able to develop those combinations.
“You (England) obviously went with (Daryl) Clark and then certain other halves in the game, and then you changed in the game two or three. I think they’ve been playing some really good footy, but it’s just all about that building, and you can’t expect them to be out here and playing like the Harlem Globetrotters.
“Hopefully next year they’ll build on that in the World Cup, and I reckon that’s going to be a scary England team, just building on those little things with their spine. I think they’ve got the forward pack and they’ve got some really classy outside backs.”
Speaking specifically on the third Test, he complimented Mikey Lewis who was forced out of position after AJ Brimson’s injury.
Munster said: “It’s pretty disappointing for AJ Brimson to get injured, and he put a halfback at fullback. I thought he was really good tonight, compared to being out in the halves. I just think that those little things you can do with the spine, they’re going to go a long way.
“If they play like that over here, it could have been a different story. If they’re used to that kind of ball and play, there’s some really skillful players in that England team and very dangerous with the ball at hand. We’re very accustomed to it in Australia.”
Could NRL play a Magic Round in England?
Munster was also happy to admit that the Kangaroos had benefited in the second and third Tests due to the fact that Australian Grant Atkins was appointed as the referee, with Super League official Liam Moore allowing a very slow ruck in the first Test at Wembley.
He even suggested that if Super League were to adopt a similar style of officiating, England would benefit in the future as he explained: “We’ve been very fortunate to have the Aussie ref for the last two games. We’re used to be able to get into a flow where England and Super League don’t really have that at the moment. If they get that in the competition, I think there’s going to be some scary players coming.”
As for how to ensure this Ashes series isn’t a flash in the pan, he called for NRL to take a Magic Round to England, which Super League fans would love given the fact their own Magic Round is in danger of being cut.
The Kangaroos star said: “I know the international game of rugby union is massive, but they need to come over here more. We need to build the game over here.
“We obviously do it in Las Vegas, but it’d be pretty cool if we could have a magic round in England too. Fingers crossed we can do something like that.”
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