England player ratings from second Samoa Test as NRL star claims perfect ten

England beat Samoa 34-16 in the second game of their two-match Test Series at Headingley on Saturday afternoon.

Having beaten the visitors 34-18 in Wigan last weekend, Shaun Wane’s side completed a 2-0 series whitewash with the victory in Leeds in a game which saw Samoa’s Junior Pauga sin-binned in the first half.

Here are our player ratings live from the press box…

Jack Welsby – 6

Enjoyed a very good first half, showing some superb glimpses both with the ball in hand and in defence. Dipped early on in the second half, failing to kick the ball in touch prior to Jake Tago’s try, but recovered to slide over for a try of his own courtesy of some nice support play.

Matty Ashton – 9

The Warrington Wolves flier continued his fine scoring form for England, diving over for a magnificent finish in the corner just after the half-hour mark having gone close a couple of times prior. Had it not been for Welsby air-swiping that ball in the second half, the winger would have had a try-saver to his name, too. Another fine showing.

Harry Newman – 8

We’re not sure what it is, but Newman seems to excel in an England shirt, particularly when he’s playing in familiar surroundings at Headingley! Throughout Saturday’s clash, he was lively with the ball in hand, unfortunate not to grab an assist for George Williams in the first half. We even saw him put boot to ball!

Herbie Farnworth – 10

Another week and another display of absolute quality from the NRL’s centre of the year. Farnworth seems to cause carnage for opposition defences whenever he gets his hands on the ball, and both of his tries at Headingley were things of beauty, piling through and sidestepping defenders aplenty. We hope we see him in an England shirt for years to come.

Liam Marshall – 8

Marshall finally got his chance on the international scene, making his official England debut, and it was a good one – we didn’t expect anything less though. His opening try in the first half was the highlight, side stepping at least four defenders to barrel his way over, but the Wigan Warriors flier was impressive throughout in defence, too.

George Williams – 9

England skipper Williams is a master of his craft, what more can we say. Last week’s Player of the Match was influential again, making things happen throughout for England. His assist for Marshall was superb, and the show and go for his own try was simply *chef’s kiss*.

Harry Smith – 8

Just as he did last weekend in Wigan, playmaker Smith complimented half-back partner Williams very well. Samoa struggled to contain the 24-year-old and failed – again – to deal with his long-kicking game. Smith’s assist for Ashton just after the half-hour mark was magnificent, and he went five from seven from the tee.

Ethan Havard – 5

We can only assume that Wigan prop Havard must have picked up an injury early on, as he left the field after around 17 minutes and never returned.

Daryl Clark – 8

Clark again did what has become the norm from him now and caused chaos out of dummy-half for Samoa. The St Helens ace used all of his nous to help kill Samoa off in the hour he played, paving the way for Mikey Lewis to come on and try to do the same.

Matty Lees – 8

Another really solid showing from Lees, who will be pleased with how he’s gone over these two games.

John Bateman – 7

Improvement from last weekend for Bateman, who copped a bit of a smack around the chops as Pauga got sin-binned. The veteran back-rower picked himself up and helped England to victory with some big tackles in defence.

Junior Nsemba – 8

Just as he has all year long in a Wigan shirt, Nsemba took the international game by the horns and ripped straight in. Powerful as ever, he showed no fear and was a threat in both directions for England. The youngster was desperately unlucky not to get over for a try on debut, too.

Victor Radley – 7

Radley’s mark is only lower than most because of the minutes he played, leaving the field after 20 and returning just after the hour-mark. He had copped a bit of a knock early on, so whether that played a part, we’re not sure. Nothing wrong with what he delivered while out there, though.

Mikey Lewis (interchange) – 7

England boss Wane threw Super League’s Man of Steel on for half-an-hour at Headingley, and he didn’t do much wrong. Lewis would have liked to have had a bigger impact, but he did what he needed to do.

Morgan Knowles (interchange) – 8

Some decent minutes for Knowles courtesy of Radley’s spell off the field. A strong showing from the forward, who has become part of the furniture in Wane’s England squad and team.

Mike McMeeken (interchange) – 7

A couple of stints for McMeeken, who delivered another decent showing. Nothing extraordinary, but got the job done.

Luke Thompson (interchange) – 8

Huge minutes from Thompson, as we’ve seen all year from him in a Wigan shirt. He’s Super League’s best prop, and showed it again with a totally dominant performance against a big Samoa pack.