'We feel we're a together team' - England captain Williams

France v England Test double-header

Venue: Stade Ernest-Wallon, Toulouse Date: Saturday, 29 June Kick-off: 14:30 BST (women), 17:00 BST (men)

This week is 1 I've been looking guardant to since it was announced. The chance to spell into campy for a crippled against France arsenic England captain.

It's not thing you ever return for granted, but sometimes you get a reminder of really typical it is.

One of nan young lads came up to maine astatine Warrington and asked: "What's it for illustration to beryllium England captain?" And it threw maine disconnected a small bit.

I was for illustration - phew - it's a monolithic thing. I'm unbelievably proud.

It makes maine bespeak connected wherever I've travel from. Everyone's sewage different stories, but to beryllium England skipper is very special.

I emotion going into camp. I'm not judge if Charlotte, my partner, will beryllium happy reference that pinch maine being distant from nan kids for a week aliases so.

I've ever enjoyed it but particularly now pinch nan situation Shaun Wane has created; it's said a adjacent spot but location utilized to beryllium divides everyplace pinch Wigan, Leeds, Warrington etc, but now we consciousness for illustration we're a together team.

It's mad, sometimes you don't for illustration group erstwhile you've played against them but past you travel into England campy and realise they're a bully fella.

It's nan athletics we play: it's beingness and group are spot chirpy connected nan section but they're bully lads disconnected it.

Harry Newman shocked maine - and I said this to him, truthful it's nary astonishment - he plays connected nan edge, he's competitory and he has a spot of arrogance, which you request successful athletics and I emotion group that backmost themselves, but he is simply a really bully lad.

Waney does his homework. There are nary idiots and it's a really bully group.

How bully is it that we've sewage nan Samoa bid sorted?

We played nan World Cup, past the Tonga series and now we've sewage Samoa and adjacent twelvemonth nan Ashes.

That's a bully world calendar. We want to play against nan champion teams and that's now what we're doing.

Then nan World Cup comes aft that successful 2026. That's what we want from world rugby convention and we want more.

The bid pinch Samoa has been marketed arsenic revenge. That World Cup semi-final loss astatine Arsenal successful 2022 is nan toughest nonaccomplishment of my career. I've mislaid Grand Finals and Challenge Cup finals, but that was nan hardest one.

One of nan 2 Tests is successful Wigan. I dream I get nan chance to lead retired my state successful my hometown - it would beryllium beautiful special.

I'll person group mithering maine for tickets, nary doubt.

One of nan things I bask is that mentorship broadside of being captain.

I missed nan first 2 Tests against Tonga past twelvemonth arsenic I was suspended, but looking back, it was bully for maine to get astir immoderate of nan younger lads, specified arsenic Harry Smith and Mikey Lewis. I consciousness rather aged now looking astir nan team.

It was bully from a activity broadside of things, helping wherever I could. I was still talking successful meetings but evidently not playing.

It's down to maine to suss retired what group need. When [St Helens full-back] Jack Welsby came in, he was a young kid but really confident. I didn't really request to show him excessively much. Our crippled is beautiful similar, we publication nan aforesaid things, truthful we play really good together. I cognize Mikey Lewis was tense coming in, but he did a really awesome job.

Some request much than others, but it's astir making players consciousness astatine ease, letting them realise they're present for a logic and what they've been doing is working, truthful instrumentality pinch it.

At Warrington, we're a mates of weeks connected now from nan Challenge Cup last conclusion by Wigan, and I'm slow getting complete it.

It was a reliable night, that Saturday. We had a brew together arsenic a group but it was truthful disappointing.

I was adamant we were going to triumph - not successful an arrogant way, I conscionable wanted it truthful much. But it wasn't meant to be.

It was a bully instruction for us. Wigan conscionable played amended connected nan day. You could show they'd been progressive successful large games complete nan past 12 to 18 months and we hadn't really.

I wouldn't telephone it shape fright, but possibly nan juncture sewage nan amended of america and we made excessively galore errors. But it was a awesome instruction arsenic a group. We've played 20 games nether Sam [Burgess] and I want to spot really we are aft 40 aliases 60 games.

George Williams was speaking to BBC Sport's Matt Newsum.