KALLUM Watkins is ready for something ‘special’ – and not just avoiding an England whitewash.
For the back rower is set to show what he can do for the national side at the place where he was made as a player and where he stars now.
Shaun Wane’s men have a simple mission statement as they take on Australia in the final Ashes Test – make sure it is not a 3-0 defeat.
And the man who thought his England days were behind him believes playing at Leeds’ Headingley provides added motivation.
Watkins said: “We’ve played at Wembley and at the Hill Dickinson Stadium, but Headingley will be another level.
“I’ve never played in an international game there. So if I’m given the chance, that will be really special.
“And it’s a full house. It’s going to be a hell of an atmosphere, even though it’s 2-0.
“It’s a great opportunity for young kids to come and watch the best players in the world. That should be an incentive in itself to come and watch and having a packed Headingley will be special.”
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Watkins was part of a much-improved England performance, even though they lost 14-4 after going down 26-6 at Wembley.
Now the 34-year-old is going ‘home’ believing they can avoid a whitewash.
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He added: “How we played gives me that belief, absolutely. They scrambled really well in the couple of opportunities that we had.
“But it’s the small details, small margins. You don’t get that many chances, you’ve got to take them and the Aussies took theirs.
“Wembley was different, even though we started a little bit slowly in the second half, but that was more like how England can be.
“A lot of the things are about belief. It’s about the connection that you get with the team and we prepared really well.
“That’s what makes it more disappointing and hurtful, because you want to beat the best.”
Wane knows the difference between the NRL, which has far more high pressure matches, and Super League showed in Saturday’s second loss.
And Watkins, who had a stint at Gold Coast Titans, admitted how things are done down under can be critical.
He said: “The intensity is high there, I’ve experienced it.
“I know what it’s about, and they pride themselves on doing the tough stuff really, really well. It’s all about small details and you’ve got to execute and take chances when you can.”
