GEORGE Williams will captain England this afternoon against Greece, but he hasn’t had the most straightforward of careers.
In fact, when he was just a teenager bursting onto the scene with the Wigan Warriors, the England international suffered a cancer scare.
And ahead of the game against Greece, Williams spoke to the BBC about that tough time.
“I had a scare in 2014 and it was a concerning time,” Williams said. “I had just started playing for Wigan and it was a massive scare.
“I thought I had cancer, so it was pretty big news for me and my family and it rattled me as a young kid but fortunately it wasn’t (cancer).
“It was a tough time and that was six to eight weeks, but I had to have an operation.”
Williams also revealed that the scare made him appreciate his job even more and working under Shaun Wane is something he will always be grateful for.
“Now I appreciate my job even more, I’m living the dream every day playing rugby league.
“He (Wane) gave me my first opportunity in the first-team and gave me my debut. I owe him a lot. I would say I am quite shy and you probably wouldn’t have recognised me as I didn’t talk back then.
“I felt like I didn’t earn the right to speak but now I feel comfortable in what I am saying.”
His head coach at England, Shaun Wane, has always identified Williams as a great player.
“He has always stood out and he’s always been that special player, but he’s progressed and got better and matured as a man. That is very satisfying for me.”
