Leeds Rhinos: Sutcliffe's delight at earning first Test cap

IT HASN'T been an easy season for Liam Sutcliffe, or any of his Leeds Rhinos team-mates, but he has ended it as the holder of an England Test cap.
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Sutcliffe played the final 20 minutes of the 44-6 win over France at Leigh three days ago. Within 12 hours of the game finishing he was on a plane on the first leg of a flight to Brisbane with England Knights ahead of a two-Test series in Papua New Guinea which begins a week today.

The 23-year-old got his England chance in place of players from last week’s Betfred Super League Grand Finalists Wigan Warriors and Warrington Wolves, who were not selected.

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He said: “It was great, it was just a great experience to be out there with those sorts of players and the whole thing of getting my first cap and things like that is something I won’t ever forget. I was in college when I got the call from JP [England manager Jamie Peacock]. I just shot out of class and I wasn’t sure what it was going to be about, but he said ‘you’re going to be with us on Sunday and maybe playing Wednesday’.

Liam Sutcliffe.Liam Sutcliffe.
Liam Sutcliffe.

“I walked back into the classroom with a bit of a buzz. Sunday, Monday and Tuesday has been great being around all these types of players.”

Sutcliffe is known as a utility-back, but came on for England in the back-row.

“It was a bit different,” he said.

“It’s something I’ve not been used to throughout this year so my lungs were going.

Liam Sutcliffe.Liam Sutcliffe.
Liam Sutcliffe.
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“I made a couple of mistakes, but it was just about the experience of being out there which was great.”

The England call-up gave Sutcliffe chance to play under Wayne Bennett who is regarded as one of the greatest rugby league coaches of all time.

Sutcliffe said: “It has been great to work with him this week and just see how he is. Obviously you hear a lot about him in Australia, a big-name coach and to learn a few things off him has been brilliant.”

Sutcliffe rejoined the Knights group immediately after Wednesday’s game and described that as “something I’ve really been looking forward to”.

He said: “Everyone just wanted to get there after Wednesday and get ripped in in Brisbane and then on to Papua New Guinea.”