England eye World Cup redemption as Tonga clash looms
Justin Chadwick |
His dad tried to talk him into joining the Perth Bears, but England captain George Williams is content with his decision to become a Dolphin as he eyes World Cup redemption over the coming weeks.
England’s campaign for glory begins on Saturday night when the world No.3 outfit face tournament dark horses Tonga in a much-anticipated clash at HBF Park.
The loser of that match will face an uphill battle to make the semi-finals, given only two of the six nations across Pools B and C will progress to the final four.
England face world No.11 France and world No.6 Papua New Guinea in their two other Pool games.
But it’s their opening match against world No.5 Tonga, who are fourth favourites to win the tournament behind Australia, NZ and Samoa, that looms as the make-or-break clash for England.
England, who start the tournament as fifth favourites, have some unfinished business following their heartbreak at the 2022 World Cup they hosted.
They beat Samoa 60-6 in their tournament opener, but were stunned by the same opponent in the semi-finals, with Samoa winning 27-26 via a Stephen Crichton golden point field goal.
“That was probably the worst loss of my career,” Williams told AAP after training on Thursday.
“It was so heartbreaking in the fashion that we lost. That was really hurtful, but hopefully the lads that experienced that can grow from it and go a bit better this year.
“Sometimes that’s when you learn the most about yourself as a team and as a person – in the tough times – and that was definitely one of those.”
Williams’ dad Peter lives in Mandurah, a coastal city just 70km south of the Perth CBD.
And when George Williams announced he was leaving Super League outfit Warrington Wolves earlier this year to rejoin the NRL, there was hope the incoming Perth Bears could nab the star playmaker ahead of their 2027 debut.
“My dad was saying the same thing. He was hoping I was going over this way,” Williams said.
“Obviously, when Perth got announced, he was saying, ‘how good would that be?’ But it was only a bit of small talk, he was only joking.”
Williams, who previously played for the Canberra Raiders, ended up joining the Dolphins on a two-year deal.
“I was really happy to sign with the Dolphins and excited to get back in the NRL and back to Australia,” he said.
Ironically, Williams’ new coach at the Dolphins – Kristian Woolf – will be aiming to bring about the 31-year-old’s downfall this Saturday, given he is also coach of Tonga.
“Tonga are stacked, NRL stars glittered throughout, so we know what’s upon us,” Williams said.
“But we also have a lot of belief within the group. We’ve got a lot of NRL players, some youth – we’ve got a bit of everything.”
AAP