'He was causing us nightmares' - Kai Pearce-Paul recalls mighty first impression Wigan star made as teenager
“At first, it was like, 'Who is this kid and why is he running everyone over?!'. He was causing us nightmares!”
According to Kai Pearce-Paul, that was the first mighty impression Junior Nsemba made on his Wigan Warriors team-mates upon joining the senior squad for training as a teenager.
It was all about working hard for the back-rower, who rose through the youth ranks at the Cherry and Whites before making his debut as an 18-year-old against Hull KR in 2022.
The towering youngster has since established himself as one of the biggest stars in Super League, and former team-mate Pearce-Paul knew from the beginning that he was going to be a special player.
“He slotted right in and he was causing us nightmares really,” said the 23-year-old fellow back-rower, who won the Grand Final in 2023 before moving to Newcastle Knights in the NRL.
“Having to train against him, he runs 100 miles per hour and he kept us real genuine.
"You train hard and it reflects into how you play. At first, it was like, ‘Who is this kid and why is he running everyone over?!’.
“From the start, you could see he was something special. He just had that freakiness about him and that point of difference. He’s always been known as a hard worker and it’s obviously paid off.”
It has been a remarkable rise for the Wigan St Judes amateur, who won every trophy on offer with Matt Peet’s Warriors in 2024, and was crowned the Young Super League Player of the Year after a stellar breakthrough campaign. His hot form saw Wigan tie him down to a huge six-year contract until the end of 2030.
“I’m really proud of him,” Pearce-Paul continued.
“He’s very proud to be a Wiganer, and considering the season he’s had, there’s no doubt there would have been some NRL clubs sniffing around. I’ve seen his name thrown around in Australia, so Wigan have very smartly locked him down. If he did come to the NRL one day, he’d absolutely smash it.
“I sort of forget his age sometimes, he’s still so young. It was only when I was looking at the Man of Steel and he was within the top 10 at the age of 20, it’s ridiculous.
"He’s so ahead of his age and it’s scary that there’s all that time left in his career where he could excel even more.”
The next goal for Nsemba is to win his first England international cap, named in Shaun Wane’s 19-player squad ahead of the second and final Test against Samoa.
Pearce-Paul, who hails from Lewisham, London, only played alongside Nsemba for one season at the Warriors, but quickly grew a tight bond and is now hoping to represent England with his best mate at Leeds on Saturday.
“That would be a dream, to walk out with him,” said Pearce-Paul, who started in the 34-18 first Test win.
“Doing it for Wigan was a proud enough moment. Being on the field with your best mates, it’s a great feeling. But doing it for your country as well would be an even better feeling.
"I’d love to be on the pitch alongside him while he’s making his England debut.”