SMITH SET TO TURN TO CALDERWOOD

[josie andrews]

Winger Mark Calderwood is poised for a dramatic call-up for England's World Cup showdown with Australia in Melbourne.

The 27-year-old is the likely replacement for his former Leeds team-mate Lee Smith, who is struggling to recover from a foot injury sustained in England's opening 32-22 win over Papua New Guinea in Townsville.

Coach Tony Smith has not yet ruled out his namesake but he was unable to train with the squad at today's sessions at Xavier College and hopes have faded.

"We'll see how he is by the end of the week but he's going to be unlikely," said Smith.

Wingman Smith marked his full Test debut with a hat-trick of tries against the Kumuls but Calderwood would be a more than handy replacement.

He remains one of the fastest men in Super League and demonstrated superb defensive qualities on his farewell appearance for Wigan in their final eliminator at Leeds last month.

That performance clinched his place in Smith's 24-man squad and a place in the side to take on the Kangaroos at Telstra Dome on Sunday would represent a remarkable turnaround in fortunes.

Ignored for the mid-season international against France and unable to command a regular place in Brian Noble's Warriors team in mid-season, Calderwood faced an uncertain future after being told his contract would not be renewed.

But Hull came in with an offer of a two-year contract and, with his mind settled, Calderwood produced his best rugby of the season just at the right time.

He caught the eye in England's warm-up match against Wales earlier this month and was close to selection for the opening game against Papua New Guinea.

Calderwood's likely opponent at the Telstra Dome will be Brent Tate, who was taken off with slight concussion during Australia's 30-6 win over New Zealand in Sydney on Sunday but has been cleared to play.

Calderwood could also come up against 19-year-old powerhouse centre Israel Folau, who stormed over for a brace of tries in the Kangaroos' crushing win over the Kiwis to emphasise his growing stature in the game.

"He's a quality player and an exciting player for the sport," admitted Smith. "It's a challenge we look forward to.

"We know what a quality team they are. I hope they play well and that we play better."

Scrum-half Johnathan Thurston travelled with the Australian squad to their Melbourne base, suggesting he will play against England just a week on from the violent death of his uncle.

The North Queensland Cowboys captain defied the tragedy to produce a man-of-the-match performance against New Zealand and earn praise from all quarters.

"To do what he did was quite remarkable," said Smith. "It shows some real quality."

Smith has welcomed the appointment of Australian referee Tony Archer for both Sunday's game against the defending champions and the clash with New Zealand in Newcastle on November 8.

Archer is the National Rugby League's top-ranked referee and was in charge of last year's Test series between Great Britain and New Zealand.

Meanwhile, England have settled into their third training base in a fortnight as they prepare for the second of up to five matches in as many weeks.

They fly north to Sydney on Monday to prepare for the meeting with the Kiwis and then move on to Brisbane a week later for the knockout stages.

It makes for a hectic schedule and "dead" time spent in airport lounges but Smith is delighted with the whistle-stop nature of the trip.

"It always keeps things fresh," he said. "There is no chance of boredom or anyone getting stale."

http://www.sportinglife.com/rugbyleague ... rwood.html

Good luck to Mark Calderwood, hope you have a great game

[josie andrews]

Wigan Winger Mark Calderwood has been called into England's team for Sunday's World Cup clash with Australia at the Telstra Dome.

The former Leeds flier, who will join Hull next season, takes over from his former Rhinos team-mate Lee Smith, who has failed to recover from a foot injury.

It is the only change to the side that gained a 32-22 win over Papua New Guinea in England's opening match in Townsville last Saturday.

Smith, who scored a hat-trick of tries against the Kumuls, is expected to be fit for consideration for England's final pool A match against New Zealand on Saturday week.

"Lee should be fine for next week," said Smith. "We thought he would have been okay for this week but he's not going to make it.

"There wasn't much between the two last week. It was a close call on Mark and he's got a chance this week."

Calderwood's call-up caps a remarkable turnaround in fortunes for the London-born winger.

He caught the eye in England's warm-up match against Wales earlier this month and was disappointed to miss out on selection for the opening game.

"Everyone who didn't play last week was disappointed and that showed in training this week," said Calderwood.

"Everyone is itching to play. Obviously you want to play against the best in the world."

In keeping the rest of the team intact, Smith has given his players a vote of confidence, despite their struggle to overcome the pool minnows.

"We discuss every week what team we'd like to put out and what team suits the opposition we're about to play," he said.

"We considered every position and decided to keep it pretty much how it was for all sorts of reasons."

Although he saw positives in the win over Papua New Guinea, Smith admits his side need to go through the gears against the defending champions.

"We need to improve but we feel there is a lot of improvement in us," he said.

TEAMS:

Australia: Slater (Melbourne); Monaghan (Canberra), Inglis (Melbourne), Folau (Melbourne), Tate; Lockyer (Brisbane, capt), Thurston (North Queensland); Civoniceva (Penrith), Smith (Melbourne), Price, Stewart (Manly), Laffranchi (Gold Coast), Gallen (Cronulla).
Subs: Kite (Manly), Perry (Manly), Tupou (Sydney Roosters), Hunt (Brisbane).

England: P Wellens (St Helens); A Gardner (St Helens), M Gleeson (Warrington), K Senior (Leeds), M Calderwood (Wigan); L Pryce (St Helens), R Burrow (Leeds); J Peacock (Leeds, capt), J Roby (St Helens), J Graham (St Helens), G Hock (Wigan), G Ellis (Leeds), K Sinfield (Leeds).
Subs: D McGuire (Leeds), A Morley (Warrington), M Fa'asavalu (St Helens), J Wilkin (St Helens).


http://www.wiganwarriors.com/news_full.asp?newsid=4296

[josie andrews]

Sinfield can bring the best out of Calderwood

Leeds Rhinos skipper Kevin Sinfield is relishing the chance to bring out the best in Mark Calderwood's attacking skills when England take on world champions Australia in Melbourne on Sunday.
The loose forward will line up with his former Rhinos team-mate for the first time in over three years at the Telstra Dome where England are massive underdogs.

However, Sinfield believes the presence of Calderwood can give England a valuable edge – especially if the partnership between the two is as hot as it was before the winger left Leeds for Wigan after the 2005 Grand Final.

Calderwood, who has been called up to fill the left wing spot vacated by the injured Lee Smith for England's second World Cup match, was a prolific try-scorer during his five seasons at Headingley and topped the try-scoring charts on three occasions.

Many of those tries came from the intelligent play of Leeds' captain, whose pinpoint kicking allied to Calderwood's lightning speed made for a potent mix.

"It's a massive opportunity for Calders," said Sinfield. "He is the best kick-chaser in our competition.

"We are still putting the finer points of our game plan together but to have him in the side and not kick for him would be a bit of a waste.

"I'm sure he will come in and do a great job.

"Smithy set the standards last week and it's up to Calders to back it up."

Given the way in which England struggled to beat Papua New Guinea last Saturday, that learning process may not appear to have been particularly effective but the man who this year became the first captain in Leeds' history to win back-to-back titles is not unduly concerned.

"We were a bit off for a number of reasons," he said.

"We've worked really hard on certain aspects.

"We will be a lot better though we expect Australia to improve as well. We probably need to improve more than they do.

"We need to improve a hell of a lot. Australia's performance was great against New Zealand and they did a lot of good things very well."

Sinfield is experienced enough to grasp the dangers of proffering ammunition the Australian media might use against him and his team-mates so there were no bold predictions as to how England will fare on Sunday.

"We are not saying we are going to win; we are going to go out there and do our best," he said. "What I will say is that we will be better than last weekend.

"We haven't read much or paid much attention to what the Aussies have been saying about us. We knew we would get stick.

"It's about the unit pulling together and trying to do something special but we expect flak and adversity along the way."


http://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/r ... 4648441.jp

[wall_of_voodoo]

He looked like he was still playing for wigan!

[joeb]

yes milk turns quicker