Leeds Rhinos prop Mikoaj Oledzki admits he must take his game to another level to force his way into Shaun Wane’s England plans for the World Cup knock-out stages. He will get a long-awaited shot to show what he can do against France on Saturday.
As a Super League Grand Finalist, Oledzki was left out of the side that beat Fiji 50-0 in their tournament warm-up. But he was also overlooked for the opener against Samoa when England ran riot with an impressive 60-6 victory.
Wane opted for South Sydney’s Tom Burgess and Huddersfield veteran Chris Hill as his starting props that day with three other front-rows - Luke Thompson, Mike Cooper and Matty Lees - all coming off the bench. But he promised that the seven players who didn’t feature would all get a run-out against France. Wigan’s Cooper and St Helens’ Lees are left out of his 19 and, so, Oledzki knows he will get his chance.
He said: “The lads played really well last week. Any chance that I get now, I need to make sure I do everything I can to show Waney what I'm capable of. The squad is full of world-class players. Unfortunately only 17 can go on the field but every time I get an opportunity I have to take it with both hands.
“It’s been a long year and it has been great to be picked in the squad and be part of this amazing journey. I’m over the moon to be here and to get a chance to run out this weekend. It’ll be amazing to get a rugby ball back in my hands and get to do what I love again.
“Putting that England jersey on again is a massive honour and really exciting. I need to make sure I keep my standards just as high or even go to another level playing this week.”
There’s no doubt that Oledzki - who played against France last autumn and earned a spot in the Super League Dream Team this year - is one of England’s top forwards when fit and firing. He did have a shoulder issue around the end of the domestic campaign.
But the 24-year-old insisted: “I feel great. I had a few weeks to rest and recover and get a few things I've been struggling with all year to get them right.
“I’m ready to go. I’m feeling fit. The French play with a lot of passion and they’ll be a different challenge to last week. They’ll be determined to give us a good, tough game. It will be a good test coming back. I've had a few weeks where I have not had a chance to play so it’s exciting to come in and test myself against their big men.”
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