Broncos relishing WCS experience: McGuire

Prop Josh McGuire says the Brisbane players were more than happy to make the trip to the UK for the World Club Series despite the reticence of other NRL clubs.

Brisbane prop Josh McGuire says the Broncos players were delighted to get the call to fly to England for the World Club Series despite other NRL clubs turning their noses up at the opportunity.

Cronulla will face Wigan on Sunday for the annual battle between the NRL and Super League champions with Brisbane up against Warrington on Saturday.

The tournament has been reduced to two matches, after being revamped in 2015 to feature three matches.

Melbourne, Canberra, Canterbury, and North Queensland all rejected the opportunity to take part this year.

The Sharks were more than happy to bring across most of the squad that won their historic first premiership last October, while Brisbane, under England coach Wayne Bennett also grabbed the chance.

"Why would you not want to come?" McGuire told AAP, in London.

"You get a week's holiday with your mates, spend time in London and play a game of rugby league against a very good side in front a big crowd. I love coming over here.

"I know it's classed as a trial game but it's the furthest thing you can get from a traditional trial

"We're taking the game very seriously and using it a springboard for round one."

The Broncos arrived in London on Friday where they swapped temperatures in the high 30s for snow and experienced frigid conditions during their first training session on Sunday in the grounds of The Honourable Artillery Company in the City of London.

Despite the cooler conditions McGuire said the experience will be vital in the build-up to the NRL season opener against the Sharks on Thursday, March 2.

The two sides will get an early sighter of one another on Thursday morning when they face off in an opposed session before heading north to Manchester.

"Personally the week is the perfect preparation for the season," McGuire said.

"We played here last year and won seven of our first eight games.

"It's a real building block for the new season. We're here to win but know we'll get a physical test from Warrington who'll be desperate to beat us.

"We're all looking forward to it."


Share

2 min read

Published

Source: AAP



Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world