The two ends of Herbie Farnworth’s story to this point could not be more different. Before earning an England call-up on Friday for the World Cup he made his name in Australia with the NRL’s Brisbane Broncos having left home at 17 to pursue his dream. That home? The small Lancashire parish of Blacko, where about 700 people live and, in Farnworth’s words, “everyone knows everyone”.
The modest, roughly cut fields there are where the 22-year-old not only learned to play the game but trained with his uncle as recently as this week in preparation for his England debut. “It’s been a long journey,” says Farnworth of his unconventional path.
