Mike Cooper was dumped by relegation-threatened Warrington just four months ago yet is now firing England’s power machine in the World Cup.
He’s one of many redemption stories in Shaun Wane’s side who stand just 80 minutes away from the final after utterly wrecking Papua New Guinea. They face Samoa in Saturday’s Emirates semi-final and, encouragingly, just keep getting better and better. Red-hot prop Tom Burgess bullied the usually tough Kumuls early on, England forging 38-0 ahead by the break with one of the best halves of Test rugby league anyone’s ever likely to see.
And Cooper - revitalised after his move to Wigan in July - came off the bench to keep bashing them. The 34-year-old said: “The boys that started, started really well and it set a platform. We were just relentless. Everything we stand for as a team - toughness, hard-working - was there and we put it on. That’s what we’re about.
