Huddersfield Giants ace Brett Ferres feels England’s warm-up win over France will prove beneficial against New Zealand – despite the embarrassing 84-4 scoreline.
The value of such an uncompetitive trial contest ahead of a tough three-Test series against the Kiwis has been called into question, with Ferres crossing for a second-half hat-trick in the rout.
And although Ferres believes the authorities need to think again about whether the French are suitably strong pre-Test opponents – there’s talk of a Possibles v Probables England warm-up game in the future instead – the 29-year-old Huddersfield vice-captain is confident he’ll benefit from last weekend’s work-out if he gets the nod to play in Sunday’s opening Test in Hull.
“After the ease of the win, it’s bound to raise questions of whether this is the right sort of challenge ahead of what we know will be a really tough Test series. Looking at a Possible v Probables could be something to look at,” said Ferres.
“But the game was still a pretty worthwhile exercise. Coming into a fresh environment like this you’ve got to pick things up very quickly and get a connection with the lads out on the field alongside you.
“That was something we were able to do against France.
“For our first run-out I thought we looked very good. There were no dramas in how we played the game.
“We’ve got some great patterns and plays that are working for us. We have to tighten our defence a little, but we know we have plenty of points in us, which will make us a handful for the Kiwis.
“It was great work by the boys in the middle in the France match which resulted in some quick play-the-balls to get us in good positions.
“To top it off with three tries was special for me. Roll on Sunday when we can get it all going again!”
