England captain George Williams’ message to fans ahead of Everton Test with Rugby League Ashes on the line

England captain George Williams wants to see the nation’s rugby league fans out in full force this weekend, as the second Test of the Ashes series takes place at the Hill Dickinson Stadium, Everton.

In what is the first non-football event to be held at the ground, rugby league will return to Merseyside for the first time since Magic Weekend in 2019, with the last international fixture taking place a year before that.

The home nation simply must win if they are to keep their hopes of an Ashes series win alive, following on from their poor performance at Wembley last time out.

A crowd of over 60,000 were in attendance in the capital last week, and this week’s Test is a sell-out, with the ground holding a maximum capacity of 52,769 fans.

Williams, who is set to start the game in the halves alongside Harry Smith, wants to see the newly-built ground rocking, and hopes that England fans can create a great atmosphere that can spur them on to victory and earn a deciding Test match at AMT Headingley Stadium next week.

In an column he wrote for the BBC this week, the Warrington Wolves man believes that whilst it was a day to forget for England in London, there were still some positives to take out of the game.

Talking about why England weren’t good enough on the day, he said:” It wasn’t as though the pace of the game was too fast, as we had an English referee in Liam Moore last weekend, so it was what we were used to.

“It was probably just more the quality of the players we were up against that was the difference.

“We’re going to take some positives from it. I know there’s going to be a lot of negativity around us especially when you look at the scoreline.”

Commenting on how they have prepared for the second Test, he said:

“It’s been difficult for us all because we put a big emphasis on that first Test. It’s been in the pipeline for a long time. We wanted to give a better account of ourselves.

“If we’d have played our best and been beaten, it would maybe not have been so painful. I don’t know which one’s more disheartening, to be honest.

“We believe we’ve got lots of improvement. No doubt they’ll improve again. We feel like we can give a better account of ourselves and we’ll see where that takes us.

England captain issues plea to fans ahead of Everton Ashes showdown

Williams, who supports Liverpool FC, the biggest rivals of Everton, admitted that to get the chance to play at another incredible stadium feels like a dream.

He said: “I’m really looking forward to this trip to Everton’s Hill Dickinson Stadium. It’ll be brilliant.

“I’ve been fortunate enough to play at Anfield, the Emirates and the Nou Camp. I’ve got a couple of great stadiums on my list, so it’d be nice to tick this one off.

“As players, you want to be involved in the biggest occasions. It’s a sellout. I’m really looking forward to it. I’ve seen the stadium on TV, so it would be good to play there and experience it.”

The England skipper wants all fans attending the event to wave their country on and be as passionate as they can in a bid to try and provide that extra bit of motivation to help spur the side on to victory.

He said: “Wembley had a big crowd and the atmosphere was good but we know Everton could be even better. It’s close to St Helens, Widnes, Wigan, Warrington – all places where they’re really passionate about rugby league.

“We’re really looking forward to running out there. It’s been sold out for ages so we know that fans are buzzing for the opportunity to go.

“Let’s hope they make lots of noise and make it hostile for Australia.”

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