Rugby League World Cup: Wigan Warriors' Kai Pearce-Paul discusses how he's benefitting from being in the England squad and Shaun Wane's desire to improve

The second-rower was 18th man for England in their Rugby League World Cup opener, but looks set to feature in Saturday’s game against France at the University of Bolton Stadium.

Pearce-Paul states there was a great vibe in the changing rooms following the 60-6 victory over Samoa.

He said: “Saturday was a great day, putting 60 points on a very strong Samoan side, who are real contenders.

“The vibe is just fantastic. It was a really good day out.

“We went into the game confident in ourselves, knowing we can do what the English do, and I think we came through really well.

“Obviously I didn’t play, but being there and being part of this camp is a proud moment for me anyway.

“We need more of the same this week. We went well against Samoa. We competed well and were very clinical.

“When we got a roll on we were hard to stop.

“Waney (Shaun Wane) will always find ways for us to improve no matter how well we do, so we will just tip ourselves to the top and see how far we can get.”

Pearce-Paul made his senior England debut in the recent warm-up game against Fiji at Salford Red Devils’ AJ Bell Stadium.

The 21-year-old says he has learnt a lot while on international duty so far, as he awaits his first appearance in the World Cup.

“It was an amazing feeling to put the England jersey on and wear the badge,” he added.

“It was a proud moment, and having my mum there in the crowd watching me was a great feeling too.

“Being alongside the boys is just great.

“You train with them in the camp and have earned a place there, it was very good for me.

“Everything has been really good. I’m surrounded by a lot of experienced players who are giving me advice, and it’s actually quite nice to finally talk to the people you play week in, week out.

“It’s quite nice to get to know these people on a personal level. Everyone is really friendly, as you would expect them to be.”