Sunday 5 November 2017 10:10, UK
England prop Alex Walmsley is keen to feature again in the Rugby League World Cup after making his debut in the 29-10 win over Lebanon on Saturday.
The St Helens player was struck down by a mystery virus that caused him to lose weight and forced him out of contention for England's 18-4 defeat to Australia in the tournament opener.
But Walmsley, who spent time on a drip as he recovered from illness, was fit enough to earn his first international cap for Wayne Bennett's side after he came off the replacements' bench against minnows Lebanon at the Sydney Football Stadium.
"To finally get out there and put the shirt on was a huge honour," he said. "It was a very proud moment in my career.
"I've been close on occasions before and at one point last week I thought I was never going to make it.
"It was a really tough illness and it knocked me for six. I was struggling for a good week and finding myself on a drip for three days wasn't ideal leading into a World Cup.
"I'm still working to put the weight back on but the doc has done a great job with me, getting me back fit.
"This game was important for me to build on, getting a few minutes under my belt and hopefully I can continue to do that next week against France and build for the rest of the tournament."
England flew out of Sydney to set up camp once more in Perth, where they spent 10 days before the tournament started, to prepare for their final group match against France on November 12.
Although England got off the mark with victory over Lebanon, they struggled to find top gear as they failed to build on a 22-6 half-time lead.
"There were aspects where we were good I think," added Walmsley. "There was a lot of energy, a lot of effort, in our defence in particular.
"I think for the vast majority of the game we defended really well. We were a bit scratchy with the ball so there's something to work on there but I think the main objective was getting the win, which we did.
"We completed in that sense but there's also lots to build on."
