In-form Brett Ferres is hoping his hat-trick performance against France will prove crucial in his bid to be in the England side for Sunday’s opening Test against New Zealand in Hull.
The Giants back-row forward went on off the bench to score three tries and help set up several others in his nation’s 84-4 annihilation of the French in England’s warm-up clash at Leigh Sports Village.
After three lengthy spells of the sidelines through injury – ankle, knee and arm – and a two-match suspension, which meant he missed over half of Huddersfield’s 2015 Super League campaign, Ferres looked eager and hungry for action.
And he’s hoping that wasn’t lost on England boss Steve McNamara.
“The squad’s really competitive and we’ve got a lot of quality back-row forwards, so I knew how important it was to do well in this game,” said Ferres.
“It was ‘happy days’ to complete the hat trick, but I’d like to think I contributed a lot more than just that, and I obviously hope Steve did, too.
“Because of the injuries and the suspension – which was down to frustration at the time, and is something which I was really disappointed about but have put it behind me now – I joined the England camp fresh and ready to play.
“That’s helped me put in a couple of hard weeks of training, and I feel better for that.
“Hopefully, it means I can have a good end to the year.”
For Ferres, that means playing in all three Tests against the Kiwis, and crown a year that he still feels has had many positives, despite the amount of unwanted time he’s spent on the sidelines.
“When I was out injured during the season, I did wonder if my chances for England would be affected,” he added.
“I’ve been involved in the England set-up for a couple of years now and I absolutely love it, so I didn’t want to miss out this time.
“As a result, I was delighted when I was told I’d kept my place in the squad.
“Although there has been a lot of frustration for me this year, there have still been a lot of positives.
“Despite the disappointment of the Wigan semi-final defeat, the Giants still had a strong finish to the season, which is something we’re all looking forward to building on.
“And I’ve still got the Test series with England ahead of me.
“So, overall, it could still end up being a good year for me personally – and something very positive for me to take back to the Giants.”
