Wigan Warriors ace Zach Eckersley relives ‘shock’ England call-up - ‘I phoned Junior straight away!'

Zach Eckersley admits he was left in disbelief after receiving his first England call-up, with the Wigan Warriors winger immediately ringing team-mate Junior Nsemba to check the email was genuine!

The 22-year-old has been rewarded for an outstanding campaign after being included in Brian McDermott’s 38-man England performance squad ahead of this autumn’s Rugby League World Cup.

Eckersley is one of eight Wigan players selected and is joined by Nsemba, Ethan Havard, Luke Thompson, Sam Walters, Brad O’Neill, Jake Wardle and Harry Smith. It marks the first senior England involvement for both Eckersley and Walters.

Reflecting on the moment he found out, Eckersley admitted it came as a complete surprise.

“I was just buzzing really,” the Oldham native told Wigan Today.

“I think we got an email first saying we were in it, and then it got announced to the media and stuff, but it’s a really proud moment. It’s the pinnacle of the sport, representing your country, so I’m just focusing on performing well for Wigan, and if that comes at the end of the year, then amazing.

“But I’m just really proud, obviously, representing my family, so it is a proud moment for myself and all of my family.”

Eckersley revealed he needed confirmation from his good pal Nsemba before believing the news!

“Obviously it’s my first time, so it was a bit of a shock!” he laughed.

“I didn’t believe it, so I phoned Junior straight away and asked if he’d got it, and he said yeah, and they announced it the next day, so I knew it was legit.

“It was a real proud moment for me and all of my family, getting to call them and tell them that I’ve been added to the performance squad was a great moment.”

Despite the recognition, Eckersley insists his focus remains firmly on the Warriors as he looks to force his way into England’s final World Cup squad, which will be trimmed to around 24 players at the end of the season.

“Yeah definitely,” he said. “I’m performing on the back of the middles and what the rest of the team are doing week in, week out, so hopefully I hope I can just keep doing that.

“Obviously it’s a nice reward, but there is still a long way to go yet, and I’m just focused on performing week in, week out for my club.”

Eckersley scored in Saturday’s 20-16 victory over Hull FC and described it as a valuable test of Wigan’s character.

“It was a tough game,” said Eckersley, who has now scored 22 tries in 19 appearances across all competitions this year.

“Hull came to play, and they were physical the whole game, so it was a really tough game, and I’m just glad that we got the result in the end.

“I think every day this week has been 30 degrees, it’s been red-hot, and we had a lot of adversity to overcome. The boys dug deep, and it was a gritty performance, one that we’ll learn a lot from and one we’re not happy with in some parts, but we’re just happy that we got the two points.”