England coach Steve McNamara has backed George Williams for a long-term role with the England squad after his impressive transition to the international game.
Williams and half-back partner Gareth Widdop have formed a good pairing in the halves so far, which they will continue on Saturday when England take on New Zealand at the Olympic Stadium.
And McNamara says the young Wigan star has stood up to the rigours of international rugby extremely well, and he’s delighted with how he’s performed to date.
“I really liked what I saw from George in the second-half of the Super League season, and I felt he could complement Gareth (Widdop) well if that was the half-back pairing,” McNamara said this week.
“But you want to see them on the training field, you want to see how they engage in the different environment.
“People can grow and people can shrink in a different environment like this.
“I’d seen George play for the England Under-18s and so I was pretty confident in him, but everything he has done has confirmed that for me.
“He’s done tremendously well, and hopefully he’ll be contender for that half-back role for years to come.”