England embrace 'awesome' experience in USA
Promoting rugby league in the United States by facing New Zealand in Denver is an awesome experience, says England prop Tom Burgess. A key objective for the sport is to increase interest in North America, which will host the 2025 World Cup.
Saturdays Test, which is being staged at the home of NFL side Denver Broncos, will be the first that England have played in the USA since 2000. Its important that we drive this, said South Sydney Rabbitohs Burgess.
Theres definitely something over here for the game. Walking around Denver, everyone wants to know about the game..
The match, Englands first since being beaten by Australia in the World Cup final in December, is the first of three to be played in the USA over the next three years.
The decision to stage the mid-season fixture at the Mile High Stadium in Denver - at an altitude of more than 5,000 feet (1,524m) above sea level - has not been without opposition.
Clubs in Australias National Rugby League expressed concerns about a lack of acclimatisation time for players involved, as well as the extensive travelling.
Sometimes youve got to pay a price for that but I think the price is worth paying, said St George Illawarra prop James Graham - one of eight NRL-based England players who backed the trip in a joint statement released in March.
We were very passionate about getting this game on. There is the potential to grow this for the next three years and every time I get to represent my country it fills me with immense pride..
England will give debuts to Hull FCs Jake Connor and St Helens Tommy Makinson in Denver, but the majority of the squad which reached a first World Cup final for 22 years has remained.
Half-back Gareth Widdop said the current group is one of the closest he has been part of, adding: It feels like almost a club team.
Jermaine McGillvary, a star of Englands World Cup campaign, is expected to keep his place on the wing despite injuries hampering him in the first half of the Super League season with Huddersfield.
Wayne knows what Im capable of when I put the shirt on and I reckon that counted a lot, definitely not my form, said McGillvary, who scored seven tries at the World Cup.
Im grateful that hes stuck by me, like he has in the past, and I dont think Ive ever let the team down.
While the 2017 World Cup was one of progression for England, Saturdays opponents New Zealand had a tournament to forget. The 2008 winners were beaten by Tonga in the group phase and then lost a low-scoring quarter-final to Fiji.
Michael Maguire has replaced David Kidwell as head coach and he is yet to appoint a new full-time captain after Simon Mannering retired from the international game.
Seven Kiwi players are poised to make their debuts against England and Maguire is excited by a new start ahead for the country.
I knew that I was going to be able to blood a lot of young kids, said the former Wigan Warriors coach. I felt its the right time to make some changes, to bring some young kids and take the jersey forward.







For more infomation >> CHRISTIAN SLATER - WikiVidi Documentary - Duration: 10:21. 

No comments:
Post a Comment