{"id":26913,"date":"2018-11-23T15:15:58","date_gmt":"2018-11-23T15:15:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/thevoiceoflondon.co.uk\/?p=26913"},"modified":"2018-11-23T15:15:58","modified_gmt":"2018-11-23T15:15:58","slug":"on-this-day-englands-most-agonising-loss","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/thevoiceoflondon\/on-this-day-englands-most-agonising-loss\/","title":{"rendered":"On this day: England’s most agonising loss?"},"content":{"rendered":"

England, and English rugby league especially, has made a habit out of glorious defeat, but few losses have been as heartbreaking as the semi-final of the 2013 Rugby League World Cup.<\/strong> <\/span><\/p>\n

Five years ago today, England went into the game without being given a chance. They were up against the reigning champions who had been formidable throughout the tournament, and had a plethora of genuine stars like Sonny Bill Williams that transcended sport. Maybe that made it worse in the end. <\/span><\/p>\n

In a game that swung back-and-forth, there was a real sense of occasion. It was the biggest crowd to watch an England game in decades; a World Cup final at a sold out Old Trafford would have brought national attention that the sport just doesn\u2019t get; and on the field the team would have reached an occasion that had eluded them in the post-Super League era. <\/span><\/p>\n

But as questions started to be asked, England didn\u2019t buckle. They took the lead early on, and proved they were able to come back to recover from behind. <\/span><\/p>\n

It had all the makings of a classic, including one of the greatest tries scored in either code from Roger Tuivasa-Sheck.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

#ThrowbackThursday<\/a><\/p>\n

\ud83d\udcc5 #RLWC2013<\/a>
\n\ud83c\udfc9 #NZLvENG<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2b07 Luke
\n\ud83d\udc5e Foran
\n\ud83d\ude4c Nightingale
\n\u2b07 Mannering
\n\u2b07 Matulino
\n\u2b07 Foran
\n\u2b07 Luke
\n\ud83d\udcb0 Whare
\n\ud83c\udf89 RTS#RLWC2017<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/7AFy9uJsBU<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 RLWC2021 (@RLWC2021) February 16, 2017<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js<\/a><\/p>\n

But ultimately, England couldn\u2019t hold on. It\u2019s a minute of rugby league that fans haven\u2019t been able to forget.<\/span><\/p>\n

England were able to hold off Kiwi pressure after going 18-14 up, but lacked that killer blow as a lack of composure started to set in \u00a0– what would have happened if Ryan Hall held on to that intercept or if captain Kevin Sinfield chose to find touch with a couple of minutes left. <\/span><\/p>\n

[youtube https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=zS1UwV9JAtE]<\/p>\n

Or what would happen if George Burgess tackled a couple of centimetres lower, and didn\u2019t give New Zealand a golden chance? In the end, that\u2019s all they needed.<\/span><\/p>\n

With 30 seconds to go, the ball came out to Shaun Johnson. Sinfield charged out. Johnson steps one, he steps two and he goes over.<\/span><\/p>\n

That\u2019s what happened. The rest are just what-ifs.<\/span><\/p>\n

But it doesn\u2019t still play on the mind of England fans five years on. Not one bit.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

Shaun Johnson soaks it in, seconds after writing a memorable new chapter in Wembley history. pic.twitter.com\/as5juxiEfR<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 International RL (@IntlRL) November 23, 2013<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Words: Matthew Smith | Subbing: Charlie Bradley<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

England, and English rugby league especially, has made a habit out of glorious defeat, but few losses have been as heartbreaking as the semi-final of the 2013 Rugby League World Cup. Five years ago today,…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":476,"featured_media":26923,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[116,134],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-26913","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sport","category-uknews"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t