Surprise Leeds team drafted in to help Australia prepare for 3rd Ashes Test v England at Headingley
A surprise Leeds team were drafted in to help Australia prepare for Saturday’s final meeting with England at AMT Headingley.
Unlike England, who have opted to stay away from the venue until the day of the game, Australia held a training session on Leeds Rhinos’ pitch and local students provided the opposition. Leeds Beckett are the reigning British Universities and College Sport (BUCS) national champions and former NRL player James Webster is a lecturer there in sport management.
Webster, who coached Wakefield Trinity and Featherstone Rovers and was an assistant at Rhinos, arranged for the university side to train alongside the Kangaroos. The students ran through drills and small games with the full touring squad and Webster said: “We’re extremely grateful to the Australia team for welcoming our players. The fact we’re able to offer student experiences like this is another example of how big a player we are in rugby league.”
Australia winger Josh Addo-Carr scored two tries in a win over Fiji at Headingley in a World Cup tie three years ago, but met his match in Beckett full-back Tom Delaney, who also plays for Dewsbury Rams. Delaney enthused: “It was incredible, a once in a lifetime experience. I didn’t think I’d [be able to say I] scored a hat-trick against the Aussies and had a diving try in the corner over Josh Addo-Carr, but now I can.”
Addo-Carr is relishing Saturday’s return to Headingley. He said: “Playing here last time was electric. Personally, I am enjoying every moment; I am a lot older than I was last time I was here, so I’m just counting my blessings. The Leeds Beckett crew were good. They helped us prepare for this game on Saturday. They are a good bunch of boys. They’ve got a bright future.”
Leeds Beckett winger Logan Caroline-Hines, who studies applied sports studies in rugby league and is currently on placement at Rhinos as a performance analyst. He described training alongside the world champions as “unreal, second to none. To play with one of the best teams in the world, with this calibre of players was such a great experience.”