Londoner Kai Pearce-Paul set for Wembley stage as England face Australia in rugby league Ashes Test
‘People I used to go to school with and old teachers are coming to watch me at Wembley’
For Kai Pearce-Paul, Saturday’s rugby league Ashes Test at Wembley will mean more than most.
The 24-year-old was born in Lewisham and came through the London Broncos academy, making him the only player from England’s 24-man squad to be from the capital.
In a predominantly northern sport, Pearce-Paul is – like legend Martin Offiah decades earlier - one of the south’s rare exponents of the game.
So it comes as little surprise that he is counting the minutes until England face Australia in front of an expected 60,000 crowd at Wembley on Saturday.
He said: “There is no better feeling, not just playing in my home country, but my home town in front of my friends and family.
“People I used to go to school with and old teachers are coming to watch, so it will be a great feeling to show everyone what I’ve been getting up to.”
The second row forward got involved with the sport when he joined his older brother Kameron at local junior club Croydon Hurricanes.
Kameron’s career tailed off at lower league clubs, but younger brother Kaden has crossed codes and joined rugby union club Saracens’ academy.
Meanwhile, Kai had a stint at Wigan Warriors, before joining Newcastle Knights in Australia in 2023 and then to Wests Tigers in the NRL, the premier competition Down Under.
He said: “The Australia game is probably a little faster - the game just flows a little faster than it does over here.
“I came back over to the UK to watch the Grand Final between Wigan and Hull KR and it was weird watching it, seeing how slow it was. Maybe it’s due to the conditions.”
The upcoming Ashes series will be the first in 22 years, and Australia comes in as world champions and the number one team in the world.
England coach Shaun Wane is well aware of the challenge ahead of his team if they are to claim the series win.
He said: “They’re the best team in the world. We need 15 players (of the 17-man squad) to have their best game, that is the level of quality in the Australian team.”
The last two Ashes games, at Everton’s new ground and Leeds’ Headingley on successive Saturdays, have already sold out. The three games will be televised on the BBC.