New England star Farnworth sets sights on Ashes triumph

NRL star Herbie Farnworth finds himself the toast of English rugby league after another dazzling match-winning display against Samoa - and now the Dolphins ace has Australia's world champs in his sights.

Farnworth had his England boss Shaun Wane, among many others, drooling after his individual tour de force in the 34-16 Test win over Samoa, with the coach declaring: "He is a credit to Dolphins and NRL - I am just glad he is English!"

The 24-year-old blockbusting centre, who with three tries in total was the outstanding player in both the Test wins over a Samoan side full of NRL quality, believes he's spearheading an England team which can challenge the Kangaroos' supremacy in next year's revived Ashes series.

"Australia are number one for a reason so it will be a good marker for the World Cup. I think we have got the talent here and the hard workers to get the job done next year," said Farnworth.

"We are definitely up there [with Australia]. The last two matches have shown we've got some very talented lads. Mikey Lewis, Man of Steel, was on the bench for us, so that shows how good our depth is.

"This Test series (against Samoa) was a success and we're building now for the Ashes.

"We have got a very, very talented team, full of young talent, but the most important thing is we are all willing to work hard as well. When you add those two things together, it is a pretty good process."

Farnworth, who was born in the north-western English town of Burnley and went to Australia to join Brisbane as a teenager before moving to the Dolphins ahead of the 2024 campaign, could prove a key figure in the revived Ashes, which it was announced last week as being set to be staged in England next year.

After scoring six tries in six internationals for England and with 204 metres run in Saturday's contest, Farnworth eclipsed every other player on view at Headingley, including Samoan skipper Jarome Luai, whose despairing dive he beat to go over for one of his two tries.

"It is always nice to test yourself against the world's best," smiled Farnworth.

"He has been the standout player in the series and he's a really good person and professional," said Wane, while his Samoan coaching counterpart Ben Gardiner added: "Farnworth really dominated the game again.

"When he carries, sometimes he goes to the line and sometimes he steps away so he is hard to reach and he has a brilliant off-load as well and you are not sure if he is going to the outside or inside.

"Normally you have to commit three or four players to a tackle to deal with him, which means your defensive line is all over the shop. He is a very, very good player, who has played brilliantly over two weeks."