Brett Ferres cannot wait to play in front of a capacity crowd at his home ground for England when they meet Ireland at The John Smith’s Stadium, Huddersfield, on Saturday (2.30pm).
The match will see Ferres go toe-to-toe with his Huddersfield Giants team-mates Scott Grix and Anthony Mullally, who line up for Ireland, and the prospect is filling the second row with huge excitement and anticipation.
“It will be really good for them to get a run out for the Irish,” said Ferres. “But me and Leroy Cudjoe are definitely wanting to get one over on them this week.
“When the fixtures came out, I looked at this game and hoped I would be involved. Playing at a packed John Smith’s Stadium is something that has not been seen for a long time, so it would be great to be a part of.
“Football is the main focus for many people in Huddersfield, so the Giants players would love to turn that around. Hopefully with games and occasions like this, the fans will turn out in force and grow to love the sport.”
Both England and Ireland go into the game on the back of defeats – Fiji stormed to a 32-14 win over the Wolfhounds on Monday night in Rochdale and England lost their opening game to Australia last Saturday, an experience Ferres says he and the squad have learned from.
“We played well for long stretches against the Aussies, and there were a lot of encouraging signs in what we did,” said Ferres.
“We were on top for 25 minutes before letting them off the hook. They started getting momentum, and we could not capitalise.
“Silverware is definitely something that is in my sights this year, and there is no greater prize in sport than the World Cup trophy. As a squad, we believe we can go all the way.
“Now it’s all about putting in a consistent performance Ireland, who are a quality side themselves. Playing for your country means there is a lot of pride and passion at stake, and Saturday will be a real stern test for us.”
