James Harrison: 'When I got the England phone call, I was...'

PLAYERS have been in some weird and wonderful places when receiving the fateful phone call from their international head coach.

And Warrington Wolves’ James Harrison was no different when his phone rang to let him know he was in contention for a second England cap.

“I was actually getting a massage when I got the call,” he revealed to the Guardian.

“I was on the massage bed at training when the phone started to ring.

“I saw it was Waney (England head coach Shaun Wane) so I had to quickly jump off and take the call to get the good news.

“Getting that call to say I was in was just the best feeling ever. I’m made up and I’m really looking forward to it.”

Of course, that phone call meant any plans for rest and recuperation during the international break had to be shelved.

And while some time away may have come in handy, the big prop, who turned 28 earlier this month, insists there’s no place he’d rather be than still in north west England.

“I’ve seen a few photos of lads enjoying some holiday time over the past few days – I think a few of them are in Mallorca and places like that,” he said.

“It’s a well-deserved break for them, but representing your country is the greatest honour so I’d rather be here.

“Being in the squad last year was a bit of a shock. You’re training with the best players in the country and the standards are really, really high.

“This year, we’ve got a bit of a different group with some young lads involved, but the standard is still right up there.

“Hopefully, I can take that refresh and take it back to Warrington as we’ve dropped off in the past couple of weeks.

“The four of us who are in this camp will come back fresh and with energy.”

Having made his international debut in last year’s mid-season Test, the need to correct niggling injuries forced Harrison out of contention for the post-season series against Tonga that followed.

Samoa will arrive on these shores at the end of this campaign, and Harrison is determined to put himself at the forefront of Wane’s thinking for that two-match series against the World Cup runners-up.

“He's told me he likes my effort areas,” the Wire man said of his conversations with his national team head coach.

“He’s pretty much told me what Sam (Burgess) has – he wants me carrying hard and being physical while doing all of the little things that fans maybe don’t see but our teammates and coaches respect.

“Waney has said to us that we’ve got the first chance to impress him ahead of that Samoa series.

“We’ve got a couple of training sessions before Saturday night and if I get the chance to play, I’ll do my best to perform.”

If he does make the final 17, Saturday represents a chance for Harrison to finally tick off a new ground – albeit later than perhaps he’d hoped to.

An ACL injury denied him the chance to feature at the Stade Ernest Wallon for Featherstone Rovers in their 2021 Championship Grand Final against Toulouse Olympique before joining Warrington the following year.

He was still in recovery when The Wire visited Toulouse in February 2022, so will it be third time lucky?

“I missed out for Warrington when we went there, and for Fev when we had the Grand Final there,” he said.

“I’ve been there once without playing and it’s a top stadium, so it should be good. Hopefully, there will be a decent crowd on.

“Most of the Catalans team are in their squad, and it’s always tough against them.

“It’s going to be warm in Toulouse on Saturday night and it will be a more hostile environment, but we’re all looking forward to it.”