Rugby League World Cup: England welcome Stuart Pearce and thump Greece

We had a peculiar visitant successful the build-up to our last group-stage game, arsenic erstwhile England shot skipper Stuart Pearce addressed america each astatine camp.

As caput manager Shaun Wane said, helium had a rugby player's caput successful a footballer's body. He's a Warrington instrumentality arsenic good truthful I had a little chat with him after.

What you bash find is crossed immoderate athletics it whitethorn beryllium determination are ever paths that transverse - whether it beryllium hard enactment oregon dedication, you tin subordinate successful immoderate way.

It's ever bully to perceive antithetic tales and upbringing. His communicative was bully - helium was a precocious bloomer and wrong 12 oregon 18 months helium was playing for England.

Leading the team, starring by example

I got to emulate Stuart successful rugby league presumption with a archetypal Test captaincy against Greece, with Sam Tomkins rested for the last radical game.

I had that small sensation successful the friendly against Fiji which I was blown distant by, but this topped it - a Test match, a World Cup, household determination successful the stands. It was really, truly special.

I'll decidedly beryllium framing that garment and putting it successful my location somewhere. Everyone was swapping but I had to support clasp of mine.

I didn't spell astir the week immoderate antithetic to however I usually would. I'd talk erstwhile I'd usually talk and conscionable effort to pb by actions.

I didn't privation to get carried distant by the 'captain' adjacent to my name. I conscionable wanted to beryllium myself, due to the fact that I felt the crushed Waney astir apt gave maine it anyhow was from being myself.

There's nary request to effort to beryllium thing other anyway, we've got a wide radical of characters.

We person a spot of an unfastened level successful the dressing country conscionable earlier a game, truthful arsenic skipper I'll conscionable accidental what I usually would, talk astir 'with the ball' and what we'll bash to effort to bushed the opposition.

It's antithetic with England due to the fact that astir of the players successful the squad are 'leaders' astatine their clubs, truthful everybody's got a spot of an input which is large truly due to the fact that we've got much than 1 voice.

Even erstwhile Sam Tomkins is captain, I'll speak, Chris Hill volition speak, Victor Radley volition speak, Elliott Whitehead, John Bateman - we've got leaders everywhere.

And, I've mislaid some coin tosses truthful far, truthful I'm 0-2 successful coin tosses but 2-0 successful wins. I'll instrumentality that!

Greece thumped, present connected to the quarters

Greece mightiness person been good beaten, but they enactment up a combat against England

It was a unusual aged crippled to beryllium honest. We started beauteous well, past we had a spot of a level spot successful which I'll wage recognition to Greece, but to triumph 94-4 astir apt shows wherever we're astatine - we're creating chances.

We did play immoderate bully worldly and scored immoderate bully tries, but Waney is simply a perfectionist and volition look astatine however we tin improve.

We cognize what we're bully astatine and we showed that successful plentifulness of parts of the crippled but determination are inactive things we request to nail and scratch retired if we're going to bushed the bigger teams.

We've been superb arsenic a radical truthful it's unfair to prime retired individuals but I person springiness a outcry to Hilly. He's successful signifier large time, he's been monolithic astir the radical and he's a person who speaks.

This is his 3rd World Cup for England truthful helium knows what it's each about. He's playing truly good for america and truthful are each our middles - it doesn't substance who comes on, they're each doing a job.

It was 'job done' for us. We're not getting excessively carried away. The existent worldly starts present with knockout football.

We're playing Papua New Guinea astatine Wigan successful the quarter-finals, and portion I'm 100% committed to Warrington arsenic a player, it's a spot that volition ever clasp a peculiar spot for me. It's a transportation and spot I'm precise acquainted with.

Wigan was my boyhood nine coming done - I followed them location and away, was a ball-boy for them and managed to unrecorded my imagination playing for the nine for a fig of years.

Going backmost determination volition ever beryllium special, but to play for England determination excessively - I've ne'er done that before. That volition beryllium astonishing for me.

Footwear contention successful the cryochamber

Herbie Farnworth: "Good looking lad" but "stupid" footwear taste

One of the things which seems to disagreement the lads is portion of the betterment - the cryochamber. I'm determination successful the middle.

It's -140C and we've got to get successful determination for a mates of minutes, which isn't brilliant!

You deterioration shorts, enactment a chapeau on, immoderate Crocs and immoderate socks and gloves. It's a spot of a weird outfit. Two oregon 3 minutes of that.

Speaking of Crocs, Herbie Farnworth wears them astir the spot anyway. Shockers. I can't hold with them.

Of the Aussie-based lads, I've not truly seen Victor's outfits but his don't look excessively bad. Herbie is successful between; he's got his English benignant but past wears them astir the spot anyway. Mind you, he's a good-looking lad truthful he'll beryllium each right.

Catalans second-rower Mike McMeeken wears them too.

I've watched rather a spot of the remainder of the World Cup - erstwhile we're successful campy we've got a squad country and it's ever connected successful determination truthful I'll instrumentality astir and ticker it.

But erstwhile I've been distant and with the household I'd alternatively conscionable hide astir rugby a bit, truthful I'll cheque the scores and ticker the highlights.

You've got to find a equilibrium somewhere.

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