THERE’S going to be a global Rugby League party in Australia next year – and Herbie Farnworth says he and his England teammates want to be part of it for the duration.
While the star Dolphins centre acknowledges the competition is getting stronger, he believes that despite a 3-0 Ashes setback for Shaun Wane’s side, England can pick up the pieces and move forward towards the 2026 World Cup.
Burnley-born Farnworth featured in all three Tests against the Kangaroos, while also keeping an eye on the Pacific Championship, won by New Zealand (Cup) and Papua New Guinea (Bowl).
And as Cook Islands completed the ten-nation line-up for the World Cup by beating South Africa 58-6 in the final qualifier in Sydney and he reflected on England’s 30-8 defeat by Australia at AMT Headingley, the 25-year-old said: “We’ve seen how the game in growing globally and we want to be a part of that.
“We’ve been keeping a check on the Pacific matches, and there have obviously been some quality players and some great teams involved.
“The standards are getting better; the game is on the up and we aren’t that far off.
“This series has shown up some things we have to work on, but we have good players in this squad and other young lads coming through who didn’t quite make it this year, and that’s promising for us in the future.
“Obviously we didn’t get the outcome we wanted, but we have got better with every game, and for long periods, we challenged a very good side.
“People might say the scoreline here (in Leeds) didn’t totally reflect the game, but at the end of the day, they scored 30 points and we scored eight, and that’s what matters most.
“We were a bit sloppy with some of their tries and we should have been more clinical down at their end, but we aren’t that far away.”
England had no mid-season or preparation match ahead of the Ashes, and Farnworth added: “It would be great to have a game in the summer.
“I’d certainly love to come over and be involved, but it’s such a hard thing to do with the timelines between the NRL and Super League and the distance involved. I don’t know what common ground could be found to make it possible.”