“Ultimately that is what we will leave, not the trophy.”
England’s sensational run to the World Cup semi-finals has been driven by a frightening work ethic and near-perfect technical game.
But as the hosts prepare for their second meeting with a resurgent Samoa, the close-knit squad have been sharing the reasons they play.
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Fast-increasing attendances and record television viewing figures show the British public is growing hungry for Shaun Wane’s side, and the women’s and wheelchair teams in their bids for glory.
And that legacy is the prize these squads are chasing, something bigger than any piece of silverware.
“I had a bit of time when I got the call to say I’d been picked,” prop Mike Cooper tells The Sportsman.
“I drove to the old rugby field where I used to train as a kid. It was the first time I’d been back since I was 14 or 15. I just had a minute to stop and think, ‘This is where I was then, and this is what I’m going to be involved in coming up’.
“As you get older it hits home a bit more what you are involved in. This is everything that we work for and we want to put our names in the history books.
“Us winning a World Cup is a trophy. But it’s about getting another kid picking up a ball saying, `I want to play rugby league.’”
Cooper and co are two games away from the first part of that holy grail. The second bit would naturally follow. And for the 34-year old Wigan forward, these are genuine lifetime moments to cherish.
“It’s my first World Cup and I’ve loved every minute,” Cooper tells this week’s episode of The Last Tackle: Inside England.
“I’ve been in and out of the England squad for the last ten years and this is the closest and tightest group I’ve ever seen. We are putting the work in and seeing the fruits of our labour now.
“Successful teams are built on effort areas. Our intensity and our one percent efforts have been pretty good so far and that is why we have put the scores up we have and defend so well.”
Cooper has been one of head coach Wane’s trusted allies off the bench this tournament, starting there in the quarter-final win over Papua New Guinea and in the opening match of the tournament against Saturday’s opponents Samoa.
England blew an underprepared Samoan side away that afternoon at St James’ Park, recording a memorable 60-6 win that led many to write Matt Parish’s side off prematurely. They have improved ominously every week since.
“Samoa will be talking about revenge,” Cooper adds ahead of this weekend’s showdown at the Emirates Stadium. “We dominated them physically so they will be fired up to put it on us.
“But we will be ready, we have got more gears yet, we will be fired up and will meet them head on.”
England’s performance against PNG demonstrated their continued improvement too. The first half hour was near faultless, with many observers calling it the best spell of rugby league they had ever seen from an England side.
And Cooper says this week’s work in training has centred on replicating that in London, stressing that the intense competition for places is what is firing up the players rather than any concerns about the opposition.
“Watching the lads fly off the line against PNG, the line speed, intent in everything we are doing and aggression.
“That first 40 minutes is as good as it gets from a technical point of view, you don’t really get much better than that.
“Don’t forget the pressure on each individual to keep playing well far outweighs the opposition putting us under pressure. Anybody in this 24-man squad could play in a semi or a World Cup final.
“A lot of people were writing us off before this World Cup and people are eating their words a bit now. It’s just added more fuel to our fire. But we have to go on and keep building. Winning this would mean everything.”
*18+ | BeGambleAware | Odds Subject To Change
