George Williams reveals the surprising extent of his recent injury

GEORGE Williams has revealed the extent of the injury that has troubled him of late – and it’s more serious than people would think.

However, he insists he has put it firmly behind him now and he is ready to continue playing a key role for club and country.

Having picked up an injury during Warrington Wolves’ Challenge Cup Final defeat to Wigan Warriors earlier this month, Williams was ruled out of the Super League loss to Salford Red Devils that followed.

He also wasn’t expected to play against Hull FC last weekend, but returned to help his side end a three-game losing streak before the international break.

And as he joined up with his England teammates, he opened up on exactly what happened.

“I tore my calf during the Challenge Cup Final,” he told the Guardian.

“If I’d have played against Salford, I’d have been in real trouble but I felt I really needed to get out there at the weekend.

“Having not played since the final, I wanted to right some wrongs.

“It wasn’t perfect don’t get me wrong, but we managed to get the win and I’ve had no issues since then so I’m ready for England now.

“I don’t want to have weeks off as I always want to play.

“It didn’t go to plan in the final but I tried really hard, and when that happens you can do things like tear your calf.”

George Williams revealed he tore his calf during the Challenge Cup Final loss to former club Wigan Warriors (Image: SWPix.com)

Having helped his club return to winning ways, Williams’ focus now turns to the international stage as he prepares to captain England once again.

He is one of four Wire players in contention to feature against France on Saturday but as the team’s on-field leader, his place in Shaun Wane’s final squad is the most certain.

That leadership role is one he also now carries with his club given he skippers the Warrington side when club captain Stefan Ratchford is not in the team, which is more often than not these days.

Williams freely admits that level of responsibility is something that isn’t really in his nature but believes he is learning all the time.

“It’ll never get old. It’s something I’m obviously really proud of,” he said of captaining his country.

“Every time I come into camp, it just feels that little bit more special every time.

“I enjoy coming in and seeing some younger lads make their debuts and catching up with lads I’ve played with before, so it’s brilliant.

“My leadership is something I’m trying to improve daily.

“It’s something that hasn’t really come naturally to me – it’s taken a bit longer than a natural progression would take – but I’ve got some good leaders around me at the club including Sam Burgess now.

“I’m still look to improve on it – I’m only 29 so hopefully there’s a few more years in me yet.

“I like to lead by actions and by doing what I say I want the team to be doing.

“I don’t mind blowing up if I need to but I try and get lads on side in a positive way as that’s my outlook.”

Saturday’s Test match takes place at the Stade Ernest Wallon in Toulouse – a ground with which Williams is familiar.

Indeed, his experiences of it are positive having scored a try in a 32-18 Warrington victory over Toulouse Olympique there in February 2022.

George Williams races clear to score at the Stade Ernest Wallon for Warrington against Toulouse back in 2022 (Image: SWPix.com)

Upon his return, he is expecting a much stiffer test from a French side on home soil and no doubt still smarting from their 64-0 drubbing at The Halliwell Jones Stadium in last year’s mid-season international game.

“I managed to score when we played there and we managed to get the win, so I’ve got good memories there,” Williams said.

“I’m looking forward to getting over there – I looked at France’s team and it’s a strong one. It’s an exciting challenge, especially with the young team we’ve got.

“In France, we’re sure it will be pretty hot so that’s a challenge in itself, and they’re going to be really physical.

“They always bring that, but they are teams Waney loves us to play against.”