Victor Radley enjoyed a booze-up on his latest UK trip but now it’s time for the real business - smashing things up with England.
The Sydney Roosters loose forward is set to continue his love affair when they kick-off a three Test series against Tonga on Sunday. Aussie enforcer Radley - whose dad hails from Barnsley - linked up with Shaun Wane’s side for the first time at last year’s home World Cup and was a huge hit. Radley - nicknamed Victor The Inflictor for his hard-hitting style - came over this time a week early to catch up with family and friends from South Yorkshire before entering camp on Wednesday.
He was also spotted with England team-mate Tom Burgess having some beers at Saturday’s Super League Grand Final and said: “It’s great. I love coming back. That week here before helped with the jet-lag. I went over to Sheffield last Friday and caught up with some mates and family.
“I played a bit of golf, stayed over at a mate’s house in Hoyland and had a big night on the Guinness, which was good! By the time we were at the Grand Final, that was a few days in a row. I was already pretty tired by the time I got to Old Trafford.
“But it was a good game, Wigan v Catalans. I enjoyed that. We had a few beers up in the corporate box where they looked after us. And then we were into camp with England. To get ready for Tonga.”
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Radley, 25, knows all about Kristian Woolf’s side given most of them play in the NRL. He said: “They’re all just big powerful athletes. The outside backs are going to be hard to handle. We know that. They carry hard.
Victor Radley of England in action against Papua New Guinea (Getty Images for RLWC)“That’s going to be the biggest thing. They’re quick around the ruck and the biggest thing for us will be to lock down that ruck. We’re a bit smaller so we’ll try to keep the ball alive, get some fatigue into them and that will be key to winning the game.”
Both teams are out to impress after last year’s early World Cup exits. England were flying until Samoa - who dumped Tonga in the quarters - stunned them in the semi-final. Radley admitted: "It was a great time - the whole tournament - and I loved representing England but I do still feel disappointed.
"We didn’t get it done and you sort of feel responsible. I’m already looking forward to the next World Cup in three years’ time, though, to have another crack at it. And we’re here now to have a pop at Tonga.”
Radley, meanwhile, had an infamous altercation with Ireland’s James Bentley in a Manchester hotel after last year’s World Cup semi-final exit. Radley is alleged to have headbutted the Leeds second-row after coming to the defence of Wane in an explosive flare-up.
He was exonerated by the RFL of any wrongdoing while Bentley’s behaviour was deemed ‘inappropriate.’ Asked if he’d bumped into the ex-St Helens star since returning here, Radley replied: “No. No yet. We’ll wait and see.”
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