Leeds Rhinos skipper Kruise Leeming's defiant pledge after England World Cup snub

Leeming, 27, made his England debut last year and played against them for Combined Nations in June, but coach Shaun Wane has selected Salford Red Devils’ Andy Ackers and Leeds-born Michael McIlorum, of Catalans Dragons, as his World Cup hookers.

The snub was a huge blow to Leeming, after a strong season with Rhinos, but he has pledged to bounce back on the biggest stage.

“I still feel like I’ve got a lot of my career left to play and I will one day play in a World Cup,” Leeming vowed.

“That’s what I have promised myself I will end up doing and it’s what I want to go on and do.”

Of his England omission, the Rhinos captain reflected: “It’s a hard one to speak about, because I feel like I might have done enough to get in, but good luck to them, I hope they go on and do it.

“I am a proud Englishman and I hope they go on and do a good job, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t gutted.

“There’s been a lot of highlights this year, with leading Leeds Rhinos out at the Grand Final; that was unbelievable, for my family to see me do that was fantastic, but on a personal level to not get in the England squad is gutting.”

England begin their campaign against Samoa in Newcastle a week on Saturday and Leeming reckons they are capable of going all the way to Old Trafford and lifting the trophy on Saturday, November 19.

He said: “Shaun Wane is passionate about being a proud Englishman and he will pull on that quite a lot, which every team will do when they are playing for their country, but I feel like they’ve got as good a chance as anyone.”

Prop Mikolaj Oledzki is the only Rhinos player in England’s 24-man squad and Leeming added: “I hope he goes really well, he has been playing great for us and he deserves to be in that squad.”

The curtain will come down on Leeming’s season on Saturday when Rhinos take on New Zealand at Headingley.

“That will be another highlight,” Leeming said. “Playing against them puts you back in the shop window, you want to test yourselves against the best all the time.

“I feel like they will definitely be up there so I can’t wait for the game. As a career, it’s about making memories - it’s a short career and I feel like this year I have made quite a lot of memories.”

Departing players Tom Briscoe, Liam Sutcliffe, Brad Dwyer, Bodene Thompson and Muizz Mustapha are all in Rhinos’ squad for Saturday, along with former Rhinos star Adam Cuthbertson who is set to make a guest appearance in his final game before retiring.

“I’ve got really close with them and I feel like they deserve a massive send off,” Leeming said.

“It should be packed out at Headingley and to get that type of send off is what they deserve, for what they’ve done for the club and the way they’ve put their body on the line.”

This week will be the 13th time Leeds have played New Zealand, all at Headingley and they are aiming for only their second win, half a century after an 11-6 victory over the Kiwis in November, 1972.

“They are very strong and we’ve had a long year,” Leeming noted. “Our season runs longer than the NRL, but a few of them haven’t played for a while.

“I think they will run out a full team, but they won’t want to get injured before the World Cup. It will be as competitive as it can be and it should be a good spectacle.

“We have got a strong squad and you know against these top teams you have to be on your game, because if you aren’t you will end up getting embarrassed.

“And it’s something the lads want to play in, it’s like a Grand Final, people are carrying knocks, but you want to be involved.”