Dom Young urges England to step up against strong Samoa in Rugby League World Cup semi-final clash
The Newcastle Knights wing has helped light up the World Cup for England, with coach Shaun Wane’s new-look squad making a big impact at the home tournament. Now the former Huddersfield star has called on England to take their game to the next level, when it matters most.
“I think it is a new era for the squad, we’ve got a good balance in our team, and a few fresh faces that have brought some excitement as well,” Young said. “There’s a lot to like about how we’re playing, and people are starting to get excited about what we can achieve in the World Cup. So I love playing in this team, we’ve got a lot of special players, a lot of game breakers, and I think we can do something special.”
Head coach Wane has looked beyond the tried and tested in taking England forward at this World Cup, but the toughest challenges still lie in wait. England must now find a way to subdue the powerful and talented Samoa at Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium.
“It’s credit to the coaches really, for getting the balance right,” said Young. “They’ve picked a very strong team, but also a team that kind of complements each other. We’ve got a great backroom staff and coaching team, they give us everything we need to succeed.”
Canterbury Bulldogs front-rower Luke Thompson has stepped into England’s squad as the sole change for the Samoa match. England beat Samoa 60-6 in their group opener, but the Pacific Islanders have hit form, battling past Tonga 20-18 in the quarter-final.
Prop Chris Hill will move second on the list of all-time World Cup appearances with 16 should he feature against Samoa. The 35-year-old set a new British record of 15 World Cup appearances in England’s quarter-final.
Try-scoring sensation Young has seized every chance going to cross the whitewash, but insisted England cannot afford to slip away from their hard-working foundations.
“For us now it’s got to be more of the same,” he said. “We’ve just got to keep doing what we do, remember our trademarks.”
