England Rugby League coach Steve McNamara today named Leeds Rhinos forward Jamie Peacock as the man to captain England when his side go into battle against the Exiles at Headingley Carnegie Stadium on Friday, June 10 (8.00pm).
Peacock, who missed out on last season’s Four Nations tournament due to a long injury lay off, says he is relishing the chance to lead his country once again.
“It’s a proud moment for me to be named captain of England,” said Peacock. “When you have a long term injury you always have doubts about what you’ll be like when you come back and Steve (McNamara) has shown great faith in me and to be named as captain again is a huge honour.
“This is a massive game for England and it will be a difficult game. The Exiles have got some great players and it’s what we need to help us achieve our aim of winning the Four Nations at the end of the season
“There are some great players in this England team as well and to captain them is something I’m really looking forward to.”
With the game against the Exiles just over a week away, Peacock has urged Rugby League fans to get behind their country and show their support by filling Headingley Carnegie Stadium to the rafters for the first international contest of the 2011 season.
"It would be a fantastic message to send out about our game if we could get a big crowd inside Headingley Carnegie,” he said. “I know for a fact that both sets of players are taking the game very seriously and it’s huge for us as a side to have a big fan turn out.
“The players are behind the game but it’s no good unless the public get out there and support this game and fill the stadium. If you’re an outsider looking in, to have Rugby league taken seriously then we need a big crowd there and the fans need to get behind England.”
Peacock is one of the most experienced players in McNamara’s 22-man squad to face the Exiles and the prop, who made his international debut during the 2000 Rugby League World Cup, believes the strength of the current England side bodes well for the future.
“We’re a strong side and we’ve got some depth with England at the moment which is good and something that we haven’t really had for the last few years,” he said. “There are some great young players and also some experienced players as well and I think we’re going to have a good team going into the game.
“Some of the younger lads have a lot of experience as well which is good because the more times you play for England, generally the better you play for the team. It’s great to see some of the younger players already having five or six caps which means they’re more settled within the squad and that will only help us perform better on the international stage.”
Pre-purchased tickets for the CarPlan International Origin Match start from £19 for adults and £12 concessions and are available at www.rugbyleaguetickets.co.ukor by contacting the RFL Ticket Office on 0844 856 1113. Tickets purchased on the day of the match start from £22 for adults and £15 for concessions.