Australia’s Nate Myles is enjoying his Rugby League World Cup 2013 campaign with the Kangaroos, as they look to round off their Group A fixtures with a win over Ireland at Thomond Park, Limerick, on Saturday (8.00pm).
Australia kicked off their tournament by beating host nation England in Cardiff before going on to comfortably defeat Fiji at Langtree Park, St Helens, in monsoon-like conditions.
And Myles, who has enjoyed experiencing the cultural side of Britain so far, is expecting another tough night, as Limerick is forecast to be a chilly two degrees centigrade for the Kangaroos’ showdown with Ireland – far from what Myles is used to playing for Gold Coast Titans in Australia,.
“I am looking forward to Saturday,” said Myles. “It was my first game for a couple of weeks so I want to go out there and try and get the fitness back up again. I think it was that cold at St Helens that my lungs were numb!
“Ireland have got Brett White and Pat Richards, and they are two players that we have got to watch out for. But it is all about us and the way we prepare, and how we play out there.
“It is kind of scary when you think about it, playing in two degrees. I just hope my fingers still have some feeling in them when I knock the ball on them.”
Myles has enjoyed being able to experience the cultural side of Britain during the tournament, though believes that now is the time to focus even more as the tournament approaches its knock-out stages.
“It has been fantastic so far, I have really enjoyed it,” said Myles. “We have done a lot of sightseeing and I am definitely seeing a lot of the side of the world that I haven’t seen before.
“Obviously being in the team environment is something I really enjoy. There are other things that we did like the Cardiff Castle, and the Guinness Factory the other day was pretty impressive. When you come over here and you see castles that are older than Australia, it is pretty cool.
“I am really enjoying it but it is now half way through the tournament and we are starting to get down to the business end now so it is time to switch on. One more game until the quarters now, so it’s game time – it’s on.”
