McGILLVARY’S ‘AWESOME’ TRIP
Huddersfield winger gives his thoughts on trip Down Under
ALTHOUGH the early part of his first trip to Australia saw him left in a daze, Huddersfield Giants winger Jermaine McGillvary says England’s mid-season Test against Samoa proved an invaluable experience for all concerned.
He was one of the try-scorers during Saturday’s 30-10 victory in Sydney, the culmination of a week spent in camp with the national squad as they prepare for a return there at the end-of-season World Cup.
Although McGillvary turns 29 in a week’s time, it was his maiden voyage Down Under and one he enjoyed. Speaking exclusively to The Yorkshire Post from Sydney, he said: “It’s been an awesome trip.
“It did take me about three or four days to get over the jet lag, though – the rest of the lads were out and about and I was still snoozing in my room!
“It’s my first trip to Australia. The furthest I’d been before was Dubai so this was an extra 14 hours and my first proper away trip with England.
“But what an experience. When you drive through coming out of Sydney you see all the schools with kids running around and they all have a rugby ball rather than a football.
“Rugby league is so big out here and I’m go glad I got picked to come and play for England.”
Having not made his international debut until the decisive third Test of England’s home series win over New Zealand in 2015, McGillvary’s only other away experience was a friendly in France ahead of last year’s disappointing Four Nations.
Regarding the Samoa game, McGillvary recalled: “It was hot, humid and sticky and it turned into a real slugfest.
“It proved to be a real tough Test and that 30-10 scoreline doesn’t reflect how hard it was with some of the big-hits and physicality that was going on.
“That’s part of the game and how we love it. I thought all the boys did well. We had a little lapse in concentration in the second half but overall it was a great work-out.
“We were underdogs, too; a lot of people in Sydney and in the media over there were expecting Samoa to win as they were saying it was one of the best teams Samoa had ever put out.
“For the first time, a lot of Australians and Kiwis could play without it jeopardising their Test spots.
“They were really tough and skilful but I think we bettered them all over the park and we had some players missing, too.
“I loved the build-up; as soon as we got off in Campbeltown it was so intimidating but a great experience seeing all the fans outside.
“It seemed there were thousands of Samoans and Fijians all giving us banter and when you went to warm up you could hear them all.”
McGillvary continued his impressive try-scoring record, crossing in the closing moments for his fifth in just six games for his country.
England’s performance was generally well-received and looked like a step in the right direction after they had looked subdued when failing to reach the Four Nations final last autumn.
“I think anyone who saw the game will realise it was an improvement on what we showed in the Four Nations,” said McGillvary, who cited the regular Monday meetings of the elite performance squad as an important aspect.
“We looked like a team that had been playing together for years and that’s where the meetups we’ve been having in England help to get that team culture.
“We do have that now while we have a lot of players injured or who have just missed out still to get into this squad. What we have done since the Four Nations has really benefited us.
“It was nice to get another try but more so to get the players’ man-of-the-match.
“They are the people you play with out in the middle and they see up close what you do, the good stuff and bad, so to get their vote as the best player out there means a lot.”
With no international games until the World Cup, McGillvary certainly seems to have strengthend his chances of retaining the jersey for the opener against Australia in Melbourne on October 27.
First he will be hoping to help his club escape Super League’s bottom four. With him in Australia and Huddersfield missing a raft of other first-teamers through injury, they cruelly lost 26-21 at home to leaders Castleford last Thursday despite a valiant effort.
They have a free weekend due to their shock Challenge Cup exit against part-timers Swinton and, so, plenty of time to prepare to face Catalans at Magic Weekend on Sunday, May 21.
“I got up at 5am to watch the Cas game. We started a bit slow but did really well without quite doing enough to win.
“The performance was positive and you can see the team spirit there. It’s something we can build on but we need to start winning these tight games. It’s getting towards that cut-off point of 23 games and we don’t want to be on the wrong side of the split again.”