George Williams | “I’m from Wigan so to play in Wigan and captain my country is beyond my wildest dreams”

England captain George Williams is excited for the first Test against Samoa, as he prepares to lead his country out in his hometown.

Shaun Wane’s England side will take on Samoa at The Brick Community Stadium this Sunday (K.O. 2.30pm) – a venue the former Wigan Warriors star knows all too well.

Williams, who was appointed captain of England Men back in April 2023, has over 20 international appearances to his name – including a try-scoring debut back in 2015, as well as featuring in the 2017 and 2022 World Cups.

And most recently, he guided England to a 3-0 Test series victory against Tonga in 2023 and is hopeful of a similar result against Ben Gardiner’s Samoans.

“It’s going to be a good challenge. You always want to be playing against best teams and best players in the world and you get that in Samoa,” Williams said.

“They’ve got so many talented players, but we, England, believe in our group and what we've been trying to build for the last few years. It has been up and down at times, and obviously the World Cup Semi-Final has been mentioned.

“But we’re coming into this on the back of the great win against Tonga last year, and we’re hoping to do the same.

“We know we have a tough challenge ahead and we’re hoping to go 2-0 up. I’m sure Samoa will be saying the same.

“I’m looking forward to it.”

As a proud captain, Williams insisted that this is a role he never takes for granted, and although walking his team out is, of course, always an honour, he admitted it’s going to feel that extra bit special on Sunday:

“I’m from Wigan, so to lead my country out in Wigan is going to be a great occasion. My family and friends will be there too. Being captain is something I have to pinch myself with sometimes.

“I’m not getting too carried away but I’m from Wigan so to play in Wigan and captain my country is beyond my wildest dreams. I’ll enjoy doing that, but there’s a job to do. I won’t get too emotional with it. We’ve got to play a good team in Samoa.

“I’m just glad we’ve got the games on and I’m just really looking forward to Sunday afternoon.”

Wane has named a strong side to face Samoa, with a mix of both youth and experience. This includes two uncapped players, who were both quadruple winners with Wigan in 2024 – Junior Nsemba and Liam Marshall.

And Williams recognises exactly what they can add to an already talented England outfit, and how his experience and leadership will help them develop in the England camp:

"Junior has been unbelievable this year for Wigan, and I think he's got better and better as the year has gone on, so he deserves his call-up.

"He's been really exciting and hopefully Samoa haven't seen too much of him. As an older player, I'll get my arm around him and help him where I can. The environment we've created in the last few years with England has been really special and we'd like to maintain that.

“I went to school with Marshall. I’m really happy for him. He’s probably a bit of a late bloomer, so for him to get a call up at this stage of his career is really good.

“We played together at school which was pretty special, so hopefully we can play for England together.”

Will you be there to watch Williams and his England side in action?

England v Samoa's first Test will take place on Sunday 27 October at The Brick Community Stadium in Wigan (K.O. 2.30pm), followed by the second Test at AMT Headingley Rugby Stadium, Leeds, on Saturday 2 November (K.O. 2.30pm).

Both will be televised by BBC Sport domestically and on SuperLeague+ overseas.

Tickets for the England v Samoa two-game Test series are available to buy now at rugby-league.com/tickets with prices starting per test match from £25 Adults and £12.50 Under 16s. 

The new England RL shirt can also be purchased now from Oxen’s Elite Pro Sports online store.