Hull FC Under 18s prospect Jack Charles struggled to find the words to describe how he felt after helping England Academy defeat France Academy in Saint-Gaudens on Saturday evening.
Hull Academy fullback/halfback Charles started at stand-off as England Academy defeated France ‘Espoirs’ 33-20, earning his first international appearance.
Charles travelled to the South of France with his Hull Academy team mate Cobie Wainhouse, who came off the bench to help England secure victory against the French Under 19 outfit.
Catching up with hullfc.com after his trip to Saint-Gaudens, Charles couldn’t find the words to explain his experience with Paul Anderson’s side.
“It was a surreal experience. There aren’t really any words to describe how good of an experience it was – I’ve been left pretty speechless about it these last few days,” the youngster told hullfc.com.
“It’s up there as one of the greatest experiences of my life. I feel to privileged to have had the opportunity to do that.
“The most special thing for me was being able to create that brotherhood with the other lads in the camp. They’re all lads you’re used to seeing every now and again when you come up against them for their clubs, but we all created a very special bond last week.”
Having lead 16-4 at half-time, England Academy remained in control against their French counterparts, eventually seeing out a 33-20 victory.
Charles explained how England had to prepare for a physical encounter, and how they came through with the win thanks to a performance bursting with effort.
“It was a physical game, so we knew exactly what we were going to get,” he explained.
“But it was an international fixture and the key to winning games at that level is often down to effort, not just how hard you can hit the man running towards you.
“We got into the grind of the game and did enough to come away with the win. And it was nice to have a hand in a couple of the tries, as well.”
Members of Charles’ family also travelled out to France to watch the match, and he revealed how he had to take a moment to take it all in after the game.
“At the end of the game it was quite emotional as I walked across to see my family,” he said.
“I actually had to stop, take a moment and just take it all in because representing my country is all I’ve dreamed of.
“So to have achieved my first international cap and first international win, in the presence of my family, that was an unreal feeling.”
The squad flew back to England on Sunday, whilst Hull FC and Hull KR were battling it out at Craven Park.
But there were no spoilers for boyhood FC fan Charles, who made sure he was able to re-watch the match without already knowing the outcome.
“We landed back in England on Sunday afternoon, so I had stuck the game on record and watched it back when I got home,” he said.
“I managed to stay away from social media so I didn’t find out the score. But obviously we won so I was buzzing!”
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