“I don’t want to talk about that” – Harry Newman wanting to turn over new leaf

Leeds Rhinos star Harry Newman shone against Tonga in his second appearance for England at Huddersfield Giants’ John Smith’s Stadium.

The centre created a try for Matty Ashton but was a constant threat for England on the right edge and was an excellent running threat throughout the game.

After the game, Newman spoke to Serious About Rugby League about the performance from England. He said: “Massive defensive performance, obviously the conditions weren’t really there for attacking rugby for both teams today but I thought we dug deep, effort on effort, some great try-saving tackles across the board and another massive win.”

Newman would then admit that he didn’t expect to receive his first England cap as he compared his first appearance to his second as he certainly looked more accomplished on the international stage: “Yeah, definitely, obviously the first one I didn’t really know what to expect. Worked hard to get here and really enjoyed the last two weeks, both in camp and on the field.

“Today’s win, I thought we dug that bit more deeper for each other and with the conditions and we showed we wanted it more and that’s been our theme all week at Brotherhood and we’ve delivered on that today.”

Of course Newman has come close to England caps before but has constantly been denied his England debut through injuries.

On this, Newman said: “Yeah, that’s something I really want to talk about, put that behind me. I’ve been in and around it for a while now, yeah, I’ve had some injuries, I’ve had other stuff that I can work on but the last two games I’ve played and the last two England caps I’m in are about and hopefully I’ll get another one next week. I’m continuing to build on that, I’m still 23 years old, still got a lot to learn and a lot to get better at and that’s what I want to do.”

Newman will likely feature in the third test for England in familiar surroundings as the test series concludes at Headingley. Then Newman will begin preparing for the 2024 season with Leeds.