Wigan Warriors' Morgan Smithies and Ethan Havard reflect on their first experience of representing England
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Shaun Wane’s side produced a 64-0 victory over France in the game at the Halliwell Jones Stadium.
There was a fresh look to the squad as the England coach starts to look ahead to the next Rugby League World Cup in 2025.
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Hide AdOn making his debut, Smithies said: “I loved it- it was definitely the proudest day of my life.
“I wasn’t expecting the call off Waney (Shaun Wane), I was just buzzing to get into camp.
“It meant everything to me with how proud it made my family and friends.
“It was class to share the moment with Ethan (Havard) and Harry Smith because I’ve come through the system with them at Wigan.
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Hide Ad“It was nice to get to know some faces who I’ve played against for quite a while.
“Then to play with Tom Holroyd and Matty Nicholson again was good- there were a few Halifax boys in the mix.
“There’s a few test matches against Tonga towards the end of the year, so I’ll be pushing for that.
“I’ve got my foot in the door a little bit, but it’s still early in the season and I’ve got a lot of work to do.
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Hide Ad“Hopefully towards the backend of the year I’ll be playing some good rugby and will be in contention for that.
“Now I’ve had my first taste, I want to do it for the rest of my career.”
Havard, who was among the try-scorers in the victory, added: “It was a great experience, it’s something I wanted to be a part of since I first started playing rugby.
“To do it was an honour.
“It was a proud day for me and my family. My try was right in front of them, so that’ll be a good memory.
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Hide Ad“I had already met a lot of the lads in the England Knights camps, so it was good being back playing with them.
“I just enjoyed the week as a whole, it was good to get a taste of it.
“There’s an international standard that Waney demands- when you’re playing for him you’ve got to get as close as you can to perfection to impress him.