Boyhood Warriors fan Herbie Farnworth relishing opening Test match in Wigan: 'A great honour'
Playing his junior amateur days at Wigan St Patricks, Herbie Farnworth grew up a Warriors fan watching the likes of Sean O’Loughlin, Sam Tomkins and a young Liam Farrell - before going on to establish himself as one of the game’s biggest superstars.
Hailing from the small Lancashire parish of Blacko, Farnworth boasts an incredible sporting background as a junior, in the youth setup at Manchester United and Burnley, while he also played rugby union before a code-switch to league with St Pats - with the backing of his uncle, Brian Foley, a former development coach and recruiter for Wigan Warriors.
He played alongside the likes of Ethan Havard in the amateur game, having also been coached by the prop’s father, Kieron, with the pair looking to pull on the England jersey this weekend at the Brick Community Stadium against Samoa.
“As a kid, I went down to Wigan a lot and was a big fan of them,” Farnworth said.
“It’ll be nice to step foot on the Wigan stadium this weekend. It’s going to be a big game and I’m hopeful to start the Test and go up 1-0 against a strong Samoan side.”
Farnworth was catching the attention of professional clubs as a talented youngster and it was his uncle who took the outside-back on trips to Australia to play rugby league before he was signed by Brisbane Broncos as a teenager.
He made his debut in the competition down under in 2019, and was a part of the Brisbane team that reached the Grand Final in 2023, before linking up with the NRL’s 17th franchise, the Dolphins, on a three-year contract.
After an impressive campaign under Wayne Bennett, named in the Dally M Team of the Year, the 24-year-old is back on home soil looking to avenge the hearbreaking 2022 World Cup semi-final defeat to Samoa, while he missed last year’s series against Tonga due to injury.
“I always love playing for England, it’s any child’s dream to represent their country. It’s a great honour and it’s the pinnacle of your career,” Farnworth said.
“We’re against a strong Samoa side full of first-grade players. It should be a fiery clash. There’s a bit of bad blood between the teams with what happened at the World Cup.”
Farnworth watched the successes of Wigan under coach Shaun Wane, who has been the England boss since 2020, while Warriors legend and former international skipper Tomkins has joined the set-up as team manager.
The centre could also link up with half-back Harry Smith on the international stage, a player he recalls facing as a junior. Samoa meanwhile have named a strong squad with some of the game’s biggest names such as Jarome Luai and Roger Tuivasa-Sheck.
“It’s always good to have players like Sam Tomkins around, with what he’s done in the game,” Farnworth said.
“Having players like that who have done so much for the English game is always a bonus.
“And I love being coached by Shaun Wane. He’s very straightforward, he tells you what he thinks and I think any player would tell you that that’s the best way to be.
“I’m keen to play under him this Sunday.”