After a two-try, man of the match performance for Leeds Rhinos against Leigh Leopards, Kallum Watkins has once again expressed his gratitude to the club for bringing him back, as well as discussing a potential England call-up at the end of the season.
Watkins joined Leeds from Salford in April, returning to the club he started his career at in 2007. Since then, he has been one of Leeds’, and Super League’s standout performers.
Speaking to Sky Sports post-match, Watkins discussed the victory and how the team responded after last week’s defeat to St Helens.
“It’s always nice [to score at Headingley],” he said. “We needed a response. We were so poor last week and we’ve spoke about it all week. The boys stood up, especially in the first half. It was quite an entertaining game, but I don’t think so for the coaches. But we got the result, which is what we needed. It was an important result against a good team.”
Since his second debut, Leeds have only lost twice, and went on a five-match winning run that included victories over St Helens and Warrington Wolves. Watkins played key roles in the performances, and explained what he thinks he brings to the team.
He said: “Just experience, I’ve been playing the pro game for 18 years. I’ve played in big games, been in tough situations, especially here at Leeds.”
“You’re always under pressure here, you’re always expected to win. I think learning from that throughout the years, as I’ve become more experienced, has helped me grow as a person and as a player. To be given an opportunity to come back here, I’m truly grateful for it, so I’m just trying to show it with my actions.”
Leeds Rhinos man on England
With England set to face Australia in a historic Ashes Test series at the end of the season, the question of whether the 34-year-old would be in the squad inevitably came up.
Watkins said that there had been no contact between him and England boss, Shaun Wane.
He said: “Look, it’s difficult. It’s just about playing games week in, week out. I’m coming to the back end of my career and I’m enjoying my rugby at the minute, and I guess it’s showing out there on the field.
He added: “[There’s] loads to improve on for me, but I’m not focusing on England. It’s exciting for the game and for rugby league as a whole. I hope England does really well in that. Whatever happens, happens, but I think it’s just about working hard here and hopefully we can do something special this year.
