WORLD CUP WRAP #2 - Rugby League in 2 hours

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Yesterday, with the start of the Rugby League World Cup, a lot of people would have seen our sport for the first time (or for the first time in a long time). You could scarcely have crammed anything else into England's match against Samoa to showcase the sport.

Welcome to the World Cup!

The opening ceremony that we weren't allowed to call an opening ceremony descended into farce. The PA system gave up the ghost. Kevin Sinfield stood on the side of the pitch with the World Cup trophy barely able to stifle a wry smile. Kaiser Chiefs lead singer Ricky Wilson did his best to whip up a silent crowd by running up and down the sideline like a toddler after a sugar rush. Dave Woods filled time expertly on BBC ONE, despite nothing happening.

Classic Rugby League. It was an excruciating farce. I know "farce" is everyone's favourite word in this sport. It is used to describe the mildest of inconvenience to the most extreme disaster. There's no escape from the embarrassment of that spectacle. New viewers may have thought, in the words of Ricky Wilson, everything is average nowadays.

The real opening ceremony

If you wanted pre-match entertainment, then we had to rely on the teams. And they delivered. There's little more that stirs the senses that the visible emotion of a national anthem. After Samoa's anthem, you were in no doubt what representing his country meant to Junior Paulo. England responded with a passionate retort of God Save The King.

And then the Siva Tau. Wow! What a display! The players ended up eyeball to eyeball which put the 'opening ceremony' in the shade.

All a bit flat?

I must confess, the atmosphere on TV in the first 20 minutes was completely flat. England dominated the opening exchanges but couldn't take two early chances that came their way. The game needed a try...

Exploding into life! 

Boy, did we get it! England's spine of Tomkins, Williams and Welsby combined to open the scoring. Then Welsby set up two tries for Young with sublime passing, leaving the Samoan defence looking like statues. And what about Young's finishing? His first try showed his evasion and speed. The second showed his athleticism. These two 21 year olds are superstars.

Relatively, George Williams is an older head! He was excellent too. Just as he was in England's win over Fiji. Just as he was in England's win over the Combined Nations All Stars. In the midst of a dreadful season at Warrington, it was a reminder of his talents.

In the second half, England cut loose. They scored 34 points in the last 15 minutes. That flat atmosphere of the opening 20 minutes was but a distant memory. The crowd, no doubt containing many novices to the sport, were treated to one of the home nations' best performances since Great Britain's 2006 win over Australia in Sydney.

Samoa's team is no joke. They are packed with NRL stars and Grand Final winners. And England taught them a lesson. They made light of the 'underdog' tag with which they were brandished.

What a way to open the tournament! We've got 59 more matches to come over the next five weeks! If you're a Rugby League fan, then you're in paradise!

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