Salford Red Devils Trio Hoping To Ignite England's World Cup Bid Against Fiji

Three of Salford’s in-form stars hope to ignite England’s World Cup bid by toppling a dangerous Fiji side on home soil tonight.

Head coach Shaun Wane has thrown his faith behind the Red Devils’ star men Marc Sneyd, Kallum Watkins and Andy Ackers, with the only warm-up match taking place on their home ground against a highly-fancied opponent.

At the start of the year not one of the three would have seriously contemplated representing their country at this World Cup. Watkins was in rehab from his latest long-term injury, Sneyd was moving back home across the Pennines from Hull, and Ackers would have been way down anyone’s list of potential England hookers, if he was on it at all.

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But their stunning form drove Paul Rowley’s side to within minutes of a Betfred Super League Grand Final, and the trio are rewarded with the ultimate honour for any sportsman, starting this Friday night at the AJ Bell Stadium.

“We were in the middle of booking a holiday to the Canary Islands,” Sneyd tells The Sportsman of his own shock call, the scrum-half benefiting from the withdrawal of St Helens’ Grand Final man-of-the-match Jonny Lomax to be thrust into camp.

“I hadn’t spoken to Shaun Wane at all, there was absolutely nothing. It caught me off guard. I hadn’t spoken to him barring that one phonecall I got, and then I was straight into training last Monday.

“I knew I’d played well but the England thing had never crossed my mind. I just felt my face didn’t fit and took it on the chin and felt it would never happen.

“It’s the pinnacle of any sport playing for your country so I’m chuffed to bits.”

A classy left-footer with an excellent kicking game, Sneyd will compete with Warrington’s George Williams and Young Player of the Year Jack Welsby for the two spots in the halves, with captain Sam Tomkins the World Cup choice at full-back.

But with Tomkins wrapped in cotton wool for what he shrugs off as “old-man injuries”, Williams will captain England against Fiji, underlining Wane’s trust in the former Wigan man’s leadership. It would seem inconceivable to leave out rising star Welsby when the tournament starts against Samoa next weekend.

SNEYD SAYS PLAYING UNDER PAUL ROWLEY HAS BEEN A REAL GAME-CHANGER

So Sneyd will need to hit the ground running to stake his claim.

“Salford is a nice familiar ground which will probably be quite helpful knowing the pitch,” he says.

The rise of the Salford contingent is testament to a remarkable year under Rowley in which the Red Devils became the great entertainers and every neutral’s second team in their charge to the playoff semi-finals.

“It’s been a completely different experience playing under Rowley, the way he coaches teams is completely different to any other team in the league,” Sneyd adds.

“I didn’t fall out with the sport and have always loved it, but it’s just been fun again and you are constantly running with a smile on your face in training. If you are in a happy camp then you are willing to do more for one another, so it has turned out to be the best thing I have ever done.”

Hooker Ackers has blossomed brilliantly. The 28-year old didn’t even play Super League until a couple of years ago, having built himself up from a semi-professional, splitting his rugby with work on a building site with his dad.

“I’m buzzing for Andy who has gone under appreciated for three quarters of the year,” Sneyd adds.

“Only at the back end of the year have people started to realise and appreciate him.

“Him being my 9 as I play half-back I understand how good he is, what he can do and the fact that he can do it for 80 minutes is absolutely ridiculous.”

WATKINS WAS A STAR OF ENGLAND'S RUN TO THE 2017 FINAL

Like Sneyd, Ackers has benefited from a St Helens withdrawal, or more specifically James Roby’s reluctance to come out of international retirement for one last shot at the big prize.

But that is not to take anything away from the man Watkins describes as the best hooker in Super League. A humble, family man, Ackers admits he struggled to hold it together when Shaun Wane’s name showed up on his phone last week.

“I cried like a baby for around three days after Shaun gave me the phonecall.

“When I put the England jersey on I’ll be bursting with pride and I’ll give it my all.”

With Leeds Rhinos’ Kruise Leeming, Warrington’s Daryl Clarke and Castleford captain Paul McShane having all been in contention for that second hooker spot alongside Wane’s trusted ally Michael McIlorum, Ackers has pipped the lot by finding the form of his life at the perfect moment.

And then there’s Watkins, revitalised under Rowley since recovering from an ACL injury and switching from centre into the forward pack.

“He's always been a pain in the backside for me as a centre when he played for Leeds against Wigan,” Wane adds of Watkins.

“I appreciate he's an unbelievable talent and a great lad to work with, and I do see him as a centre. But if you see his form this year as a back-row, it's a great asset to us as England.”

Unlike Ackers and Sneyd, Watkins probably did allow himself to picture a year that ended with him playing in a home World Cup for England.

But to make the squad, and to now look like a certain starter, is a real triumph of mental strength through adversity. He wins back the platform to showcase the immense talents that came close to winning England the World Cup in 2017.

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