England’s comprehensive victory in the opening game of the three-Test series against New Zealand has put them on the brink of something rather special and altogether new for the bulk of this youthful squad. Wins against Australia and New Zealand have been in short supply in recent years – a fact summed up by Steve McNamara’s record as coach – one win in 10 attempts against the big two of international rugby league before last weekend’s 26-12 win.
The Olympic Stadium and a near sell-out crowd of 49,000 await England on Saturday afternoon for the second Test – as well as a prime-time viewing slot on the BBC. With the prospect of a series victory on the line as well, occasions and opportunities do not get much bigger than this for a sport short on national attention.
In a week when Sam Burgess’s move back to rugby league has dominated the agenda, England’s impressive performance in the first Test against New Zealand at Hull last Sunday had become a bit of an afterthought in the buildup to Saturday’s game. But England have the opportunity to change all of that.
Several years of near-misses means you have to go back to Great Britain’s 2007 series victory against New Zealand to find the last scrap of meaningful success. Only three men remain in this England squad from that 3-0 whitewash eight years ago, and the long wait for success is something that one of that trio, the Canterbury prop James Graham, is keen to put right.
“2007 is a long time ago,” he says. “I was 22 and I remember feeling very proud to have won that Test series, I still have the shirt on the wall of my house, framed. It was a massive achievement to be part of a Great Britain team winning a Test series, it was huge.
“I understood the difference between a Test series and a major tournament but we’ve not won anything against Australia or New Zealand since. Back then I was very optimistic about the future of English rugby league and that hasn’t changed. The belief is there that the group can do something very soon.
“This is a massive opportunity and a huge springboard for us. The viewing figures for the game at Hull were high, the crowd was full and there’s a lot of tickets been sold to people in the London area for this game, so maybe there’ll be a few new people taking this in.”
The forward has such an impact on whatever team he plays in that the NRL mistakenly listed him as the England captain on its website this week. That may not be the case in terms of who wears the armband but Graham is certainly one of England’s most experienced and reliable players in a squad that, for the most part, is packed with younger talent.
He became England’s most capped player last week having played in all of their narrow losses against the big two over the past few years, and he is intent on ending English rugby league’s heartbreak in tournaments by winning this series with a game to spare. “Before the tournament started the goal was to win the series. We did a job on Sunday so we’re presented with an opportunity to win it on Saturday,” Graham said.
“This is the position we want to be in but we understand there’s a lot of hard work to be done to get the job done. The prospect of the Olympic Stadium is exciting.
“Any time you play at a big stadium it’s a great experience, and I can only presume most of the fans will be singing for England. The fans at Hull were outstanding so if we can replicate that it will stand us in good stead.”
The fans and the players need no extra motivation to end their lengthy wait for success at international level but the prospect of overtaking Australia and moving up to second in the world rankings could also await England come Saturday night. That alone is surely reason enough for them to make their mark in the international game at long last.
England Hardaker; J Burgess, Watkins, Bateman, Hall; Widdop, Williams; Graham, Hodgson, Hill, Whitehead, Farrell, O’Loughlin. Subs: Ferres, Cooper, Roby, T Burgess.
New Zealand Tuivasa-Sheck; Nightingale, Kahu, Whare, Kenny-Dowall; Hiku, Lolohea; Bromwich, Luke, Moa, Harris, Proctor, Blair. Subs: Brown, Taupau, Matulino, Glenn.
Referee G Sutton (Aus).
