Aussie amateur seeks giant-killing in English RL cup
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When Australian Jack Payne began work as a teacher in London he thought his days of playing rugby league in front of big crowds were over.
The halfback had played his lower-age rugby with St George Illawarra Dragons, including an under-20 semi-final against the North Queensland Cowboys at a half-full Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane.
He also played in the French Elite One competition with Avignon, but is now a primary school teacher in Willesden, north west London.
While there he met up with Kim Parkinson, a New Zealander who is a co-founder and head coach of Wests Warriors, an amateur club founded as a nines team in 2013 that has a strong cohort of Australians and Kiwis.
They play in the fourth-tier Southern Conference League. But this Saturday they will mix it with rugby league aristocracy when they play seven-time winners Widnes in the third round of the Challenge Cup.
One of the sport’s founding members Widnes won the first official world club title in 1989.
“A lot of us are ex-pats so Wests is like a family away from family and that’s what I like about it,” said Payne.
“Our goal was to get to round three and we’re stoked to get the chance to go and play in such a big stadium against a team with such a massive history as Widnes.
“Obviously it’s going to be tough but we’re going to go out there and give it 100 per cent. If can do ourselves proud hopefully it will raise some awareness and continue to help us grow the club’s base.”
Wests were initially drawn at home but their facilities are not up to the occasion so they agreed to switch the tie. That means Payne and his teammates paying their own travel and hotel costs of $A250 each.
“We agreed to go up the night before and it will all come out of the players’ pockets, but it is going to be worth it for the experience of playing against such a well-known club in a big stadium,” said Parkinson.
PA
