Crabtree fired up for Kiwis

Crabtree: came off the bench

It would be fantastic to play in front of my home crowd. I've played something like 200 games and half of them have been at the Galpharm. It will be a great experience against the Kiwis but it doesn't get any easier. New Zealand will do exactly the same thing, they'll try to take my head off but that's part of my game.

Eorl Crabtree
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England prop Eorl Crabtree is relishing the prospect of playing in front of his home crowd at the Galpharm Stadium on Saturday night.

The 6ft 6in, 18st front rower came off the bench to help inspire a courageous England fightback in the Gillette Four Nations clash with the Kangaroos.

Now he is gearing up to take on New Zealand at Huddersfield on Saturday with a place in the final at stake.

"I'm not normally a nervous person but it did get to me a little bit because I've worked for 10 years to get to this and it was a big game for me," said Crabtree.

"I've played for England quite a few times but never against the Aussies.

"It was pretty fast, I'll be honest with you, but my confidence grew. You kind of build them up to being something special and it's not what you expect.

"I really enjoyed it, trying to rip in and play my own game. It seemed to pay off, I got more confident as I went along and I enjoyed it as well. It was an absolute pleasure.

"It was not as physical as I thought it would be but that's probably because that's my game anyway and I enjoy the physical aspect.

"It's something I've adapted to over the years. My body has toughened up a little bit. I enjoy the offloading and the big contact."

The 23,122 crowd feared a repeat of the 52-4 mauling inflicted on England in their last meeting with the Kangaroos when tries from Billy Slater (2), man of the match Greg Inglis, Brett Morris and skipper Darren Lockyer put the tourists 26-0 up at the break.

But England battled back bravely after the break and were able to dominate the second half, winning the stanza 16-0.

Rustiness

"We made quite a few mistakes in the first half," said Crabtree. "There was a bit of rustiness. We tried really hard and that can sometimes by your downfall.

"They got a bit of luck because they're great players and they're going to take their chances.

"But in the second half we calmed down a bit and were a bit more fluent. We seemed to control the ball, they made a few mistakes which helped us out and we started to get a roll on."

Crabtree, who missed England's opening game after undergoing minor knee surgery, is now hoping he has done enough to keep his place for Saturday's final group match.

"The whole idea for me was to go out there and show what I can do and that I could be an asset to England," said the Huddersfield-born player. "I believe I did that.

"I put my hand up - I always have a crack - and, hopefully, Tony is pretty happy with what I've done.

Fantastic

"It would be fantastic to play in front of my home crowd. I've played something like 200 games and half of them have been at the Galpharm.

"It will be a great experience against the Kiwis but it doesn't get any easier.

"New Zealand will do exactly the same thing, they'll try to take my head off but that's part of my game.

"I expect it and wouldn't expect anything less. If it wasn't like that, I probably wouldn't get into the game as much. It makes me more confident when people do that because I enjoy the challenge."