England's 'massive pack'Watmough said the pack made a pledge to hold up their end of the bargain before the tournament opener, and would do so again this weekend."We just sat there before the (New Zealand) game and said 'They don't come through the middle'."That's got to be our goal every week. We can't have teams going through us because that puts the team on the back foot."(England) are going to have a massive pack - they've got front-rowers playing in the back-row like the Kiwis so we're going to have to stand up."We've got massive talent out wide so we have to do our job in the middle and, if we can go forward, then they can score some points."We've got to win that battle in there first."And that's a battle Australia know won't be easy.England showed with their second half display against France that they have the potential to cause the Kangaroos problems and, with a healthy turnout of home fans, they will be fired up."It's a huge challenge for us," veteran prop Petero Civoniceva said."We all sat there on the weekend and watched the game. Because their pack's huge it's going to be a tough task taking on the likes of Morley, Ellis and Sam Burgess."We know what to expect of Adrian Morley and how tough a competitor he is ... he'll definitely lead from the front as he always does."Ellis and Burgess on the edges of the ruck - every time they took the line on (against France) they carried a couple of defenders with them."They've got that ability to pop and offload as well. Defensively we need to improve a hell of a lot from our performance on the weekend."
Ferriol bannedMeanwhile, French prop David Ferriol has been suspended for one match and will miss his side’s match against the Kiwis in Toulouse on Saturday.The Rugby Football League's (RFL) match review committee imposed a one-match ban on Ferriol for striking England's Kevin Sinfield during the opening match of the tournament.But the RFL said Ferriol's teammate, Jean Philippe Baile, would be free to play the New Zealanders after the committee decided that his sending off for a high tackle on Richard Myler was sufficient punishment.The French can appeal Ferriol's suspension.France lost to England 12-34 while New Zealand and Australia drew 20-20 in the first round of matches.
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