Callum Hudson-Odoi reminded the Premier League what he is capable of with a brilliant debut goal to earn Nottingham Forest a 1-1 draw with Burnley.

It is 18 months since the 22-year-old last played in England’s top flight as his promising Chelsea career petered out, but, after a year on loan at Bayer Leverkusen, he was back with a bang.

He was Forest’s brightest spark following his deadline-day move from Stamford Bridge and brought his side level with a brilliant curling effort in the second half after Zeki Amdouni had put the Clarets ahead.

Hudson-Odoi is reunited with Steve Cooper, who managed the winger when he was part of the England Under-17 World Cup-winning squad, and England boss Gareth Southgate will hope the Welshman can get the best out of a player he has not used since 2019 and who is considering changing his allegiance to Ghana.

The point for Burnley enabled them to get their campaign up and running after three successive defeats, but they might be disappointed they did not leave with all three after they were denied a late winner by VAR, while they ended the game with 10 men after Lyle Foster elbowed Ryan Yates.

Forest, handing debuts to Hudson-Odoi and Ibrahim Sangare, looked vibrant in the opening 20 minutes and were causing Burnley problems with their pace on the break.

Hudson-Odoi, playing his first Premier League match since January 2022, was enjoying himself and saw a shot blocked after cutting inside from the left.

He came even closer in the 16th minute as Taiwo Awoniyi teed him up and his 20-yard effort was palmed away by Clarets goalkeeper James Trafford.

Burnley weathered the storm and began to come into the game.

They fired a warning shot in the 25th minute when Amdouni fired a low shot toward the bottom corner, but Matt Turner got down well to keep the ball out.

But the Clarets did take lead in the 41st minute as Luca Koleosho skinned Joe Worrall down the left and pulled the ball back for Amdouni to fire into the bottom corner.

Hudson-Odoi had looked Forest’s most dangerous player and he brought the City Ground to life just after the hour mark.

Awoniyi did well to control a high cross and he laid it off to the former Chelsea winger, who cut inside and sent a 20-yard curling effort in off a post, with the goal surviving a VAR check.

Burnley were not so lucky as they thought they had regained the lead in the 76th minute when Sander Berge got past Scott McKenna and teed up Foster, but the Norwegian was ruled to have used his hand and the visitors were denied.

And Foster’s experience with VAR did not get any better as he was shown a red card in added time after referee Robert Jones was invited to check the pitchside monitor after the forward was caught elbowing Yates.

Callum Hudson-Odoi reminded the Premier League what he is capable of with a brilliant debut goal to earn Nottingham Forest a 1-1 draw with Burnley.

It is 18 months since the 22-year-old last played in England’s top flight as his promising Chelsea career petered out, but, after a year on loan at Bayer Leverkusen, he was back with a bang.

He was Forest’s brightest spark following his deadline-day move from Stamford Bridge and brought his side level with a brilliant curling effort in the second half after Zeki Amdouni had put the Clarets ahead.

Hudson-Odoi is reunited with Steve Cooper, who managed the winger when he was part of the England Under-17 World Cup-winning squad, and England boss Gareth Southgate will hope the Welshman can get the best out of a player he has not used since 2019 and who is considering changing his allegiance to Ghana.

The point for Burnley enabled them to get their campaign up and running after three successive defeats, but they might be disappointed they did not leave with all three after they were denied a late winner by VAR, while they ended the game with 10 men after Lyle Foster elbowed Ryan Yates.

Forest, handing debuts to Hudson-Odoi and Ibrahim Sangare, looked vibrant in the opening 20 minutes and were causing Burnley problems with their pace on the break.

Hudson-Odoi, playing his first Premier League match since January 2022, was enjoying himself and saw a shot blocked after cutting inside from the left.

He came even closer in the 16th minute as Taiwo Awoniyi teed him up and his 20-yard effort was palmed away by Clarets goalkeeper James Trafford.

Burnley weathered the storm and began to come into the game.

They fired a warning shot in the 25th minute when Amdouni fired a low shot toward the bottom corner, but Matt Turner got down well to keep the ball out.

But the Clarets did take lead in the 41st minute as Luca Koleosho skinned Joe Worrall down the left and pulled the ball back for Amdouni to fire into the bottom corner.

Hudson-Odoi had looked Forest’s most dangerous player and he brought the City Ground to life just after the hour mark.

Awoniyi did well to control a high cross and he laid it off to the former Chelsea winger, who cut inside and sent a 20-yard curling effort in off a post, with the goal surviving a VAR check.

Burnley were not so lucky as they thought they had regained the lead in the 76th minute when Sander Berge got past Scott McKenna and teed up Foster, but the Norwegian was ruled to have used his hand and the visitors were denied.

And Foster’s experience with VAR did not get any better as he was shown a red card in added time after referee Robert Jones was invited to check the pitchside monitor after the forward was caught elbowing Yates.

The 0-2 Cincinnati Bengals' next opportunity to secure their elusive first win comes next Monday night against the Los Angeles Rams.

It's uncertain if Joe Burrow will be able to play in that game.

Burrow re-aggravated a calf injury in Sunday's 27-24 loss to the Baltimore Ravens, and Bengals coach Zac Taylor said Monday he was unsure if he'd be ready to play in Week 3.

"He's still sore today," Taylor said. "He did it really one of the last three plays of the game probably, so it's just sore."

The team's medical staff is still evaluating the injury, and Taylor told reporters it was hard to say if he'd be ready to face the Rams.

A strained right calf muscle forced Burrow to miss most of training camp, and he was limping at the end of the loss to the Ravens.

Burrow and the Bengals agreed to a five-year, $275million contract extension right before the start of the 2023 season, but little has gone right since he became the highest-paid player in league history.

After throwing for a career-low 82 yards in a 24-3 season-opening loss to the Cleveland Browns, Burrow had just 35 passing yards at half-time against the Ravens. On Cincinnati's first drive of the second half, he then threw an interception near the end zone.

He was able to engineer a pair of scoring drives culminating in touchdown passes to Tee Higgins to pull within three points, but the Bengals were unable to get any closer.

Cincinnati also opened 0-2 last season and still ended up reaching a second straight AFC title game, but if Burrow is forced to miss time rehabbing his calf, another march to the playoffs would appear to be unlikely.

Jake Browning is No. 2 at quarterback on Cincinnati's depth chart. He has attempted one pass in his pro career.

Eddie Howe has insisted the weather which delayed Newcastle’s arrival in Italy will not derail their Champions League adventure.

The club’s latest European mission hardly got off to the most auspicious of starts when, having been given special dispensation to train on Tyneside on Monday morning rather than at the San Siro later in the day, they remained on the ground for more than two hours.

However, speaking at a press conference which finally got under way at around 9pm local time when it had initially been scheduled for 7pm, Howe was adamant preparations for a tough opening encounter with AC Milan would not be hampered as a result.

He said: “It’s just part and parcel of the job that we do. It’s not out of the normal that that can happen. This was a weather problem, but we’ve been in similar situations.

“It’s something we’re used to, although it’s a slightly later arrival time than we would have liked for the players. It’s no big deal though.”

Howe and his players were due to leave Tyneside at around 2.30pm, but eventually took off closer to 5pm and, as the media gathered at the stadium to await the 45-year-old and former Milan midfielder Sandro Tonali, a plane-tracking app suggested they were still somewhere above France.

They finally made it to the stadium at around 9pm, with article 73 of governing body UEFA’s regulations stating: “Press conferences must start between 1200 and 2000 local time. Exceptions to these timings must be agreed in advance with UEFA.”

However, the PA news agency understands a first offence is likely to be met with a warning rather than more stringent punishment.

Had Newcastle arrived on time, they would have done so in torrential rain as thunderclouds gathered over the Italian city as a sultry day drew to a close.

Tuesday night’s game, which will be played 26 years and two days after the Magpies famously beat Barcelona 3-2 in the same tournament, comes more than two decades after their last appearance in Europe’s premier club competition.

For Howe, it will be the first Champions League game he has attended, and one he is relishing against a side which suffered a 5-1 derby drubbing at the hands of neighbours Inter on Saturday.

He said: “I’ve never attended one. I’ve always been too busy working to take one in. But it’s not something I’ve given any thought to. It’s a game of football.

“Yes, it will be a very proud moment for me. I think it will be a very proud moment for everyone connected with Newcastle to be back in the Champions League after a long period away.

“But it is a game of football and I think that’s just how we have to approach it. Yes, it’s a special game and we have to be at our best. There are slight differences in terms of where we’ve travelled, but the game will be the same and it will be a very difficult one.

The club’s last fixture in the competition, a 2-0 home defeat by Barcelona in March 2003, saw the likes of Shay Given, Kieron Dyer and Alan Shearer go up against Frank de Boer, Xavi and Patrick Kluivert.

This time around £53million summer signing Tonali, a semi-finalist with Milan last season, will be part of a new generation trying to write a new chapter in the club’s history.

The Italy international said: “It will be the most thrilling feeling to come out into the stadium packed with people again.

“They let me live my dream here at AC Milan, but now I come back as a rival. I will have a lot of feelings tomorrow.

“Everything happened so fast with the transfer, I was overwhelmed at first, but I have come across a wonderful team, wonderful staff and play for people who love football. The people of Newcastle will help anyone.”

Sports stars and clubs across the world continue to provide an insight into their lives on social media.

Here, the PA news agency looks at some of the best examples from September 18.

Two England greats celebrated their birthdays.

Roberto de Zerbi celebrated one year in charge of Brighton.

Tyson Fury welcomed a new addition to the family.

A post shared by Tyson Fury (@tysonfury)

Another World Series of Darts title for Michael van Gerwen.

Sonny Bill Williams celebrated with Fiji.

Joe Marler with the assist of the World Cup so far?

Ryan Fox felt honoured.

Danny Willett was grateful.

Tim Murtagh was hanging up his boots.

KP makes his World Cup predictions.

Celtic have announced record annual profits of more than £40million ahead of their latest Champions League campaign.

The club made a profit of £40.7m last season and had £72.3m in the bank “net of bank borrowings” on June 30 this year.

Group revenue was up by more than a third to £120m and the club reported a gain in the transfer market of £14.4m.

The figures were published just after their pre-match media conference in Rotterdam ahead of their Group E opener against Feyenoord.

In a statement, chairman Peter Lawwell stated that factors in a £32m increase in revenue included Champions League football – after the Europa League campaign the previous year – plus a tour of Australia and record retail figures.

He added: “The £34.6m increase in profit before tax resulted from the significant revenue increase outlined above along with a £14.4m gain on sale of player registrations, predominantly from the sales of Jota, (Josip) Juranovic and (Giorgos) Giakoumakis.

“In addition, we recorded £13.5m of other income that came from a combination of compensation received following the departure of Ange Postecoglou and a business interruption insurance recovery in relation to Covid-19, with the two items mentioned being one off in nature and typically non-recurring.”

Lawwell stated that the cash reserves were used to fund the summer transfer plans for the last two seasons, with fees “typically paid in instalments”.

The former Celtic chief executive added: “This sum also contains the cash required to fund the significant investment that the club is planning to make in developing our Barrowfield training facility.

“It is important to highlight that, given the increasing gap between the sums able to be earned between the Champions League and the Europa League, it is vital that we retain a cash buffer in reserve.

“History tells us that we will not always qualify for the Champions League and the benefit of holding cash reserves affords us the optionality of managing through seasons where we participate in the Europa League with the ability to retain our squad as opposed to selling key players to bridge the income shortfall between both competitions.

“The financial sustainability rules are also a key feature of UEFA licencing and we need to be cognisant of running our club accordingly.”

Lawwell stated that a £13m transfer spend took their total outlay to £51.4m over two years and that a further £15m had been invested since the end of June.

Celtic signed seven players on permanent deals this summer – Kwon Hyeok-kyu, Marco Tilio, Yang Hyun-jun, Odin Thiago Holm, Maik Nawrocki, Gustaf Lagerbielke and Luis Palma – and brought in Paulo Bernardo and Nat Phillips on loan.

Brendan Rodgers has stressed that Celtic’s unbreakable spirit can help them defy the odds in the Champions League.

Rodgers admitted his side have not been at their best so far this season and they have ongoing issues in central defence ahead of Tuesday’s Group E opener against Feyenoord in Rotterdam.

Nat Phillips is a doubt with an ankle issue, while Cameron Carter-Vickers, Maik Nawrocki and Stephen Welsh are all ruled out, leaving Liam Scales and recent signing Gustaf Lagerbielke as the only two definite options for Rodgers.

Celtic are the group outsiders behind Atletico Madrid, Lazio and the Dutch champions but Rodgers is targeting progression of some sort and possibly in the Champions League.

“I think success for us as a club is to be in Europe after Christmas,” he said. “That is what our aim is. Whatever competition that is in, as long as we are in Europe after Christmas, that is our aim.

“But anything is possible in the group. We look to be competitive in all the games.

“I think it’s one where anything is possible.

“People ask you to forecast what it is you want to do and what you want to achieve but I think that how we want the play the game with our competitive spirit, that’s important in the Champions League because you are playing against top teams.

“We have seen already this season that the spirit of this team will never be broken.

“You have to have that at this level when you are a team like ourselves coming into it, when people want to dismiss you in the tournament.

“It’s about being competitive, you have to work very hard, you have to work very smart, and let’s see where it takes us.”

Rodgers was not one to play defensively in Europe in his first spell as Celtic manager and predecessor Ange Postecoglou did not compromise any of his attacking principles last season as Celtic collected two points from a group campaign that promised more.

When asked whether he would adapt on European nights this season, the former Leicester manager said: “We are not at peak Celtic, I would say.

“We have got a long way to go before I think we will be where I am happy where I want us to be.

“However, what the players have shown is that flexibility.

“In terms of style, I don’t think there is a massive difference in terms of how the players have been asked to work. I just think it takes time and understanding for that to grow, and obviously of course it’s about players as well.

“You bring players back into the squad who are out of injured and of course the football can look different because you maybe have more dynamism and more flexibility and more movement.

“But stylistically at this level, we want to play the game to our DNA, which is be aggressive when we are attacking and have that conviction when we attack.

“And that all comes from when you defend. You have to have that collective responsibility and collective resilience and, if you have that in your defending, then you can look to show that in your attacking play.

“We know there’s times we are going to be under pressure, especially away from home, but of course we want to give Feyenoord a problem when we have the ball as well.”

Phillips saw his debut cut short on Saturday when he injured his ankle towards the end of the first half against Dundee.

The on-loan Liverpool defender was replaced by Lagerbielke at half-time, although he was only scheduled to play an hour in his first appearance since his move.

He trained at Celtic Park on Monday but Rodgers later said at the De Kuip Stadium in Rotterdam: “Nat has rolled his ankle so we will just have to see on that.”

Patrick Mullins reached another landmark in riding his 800th winner courtesy of Luckinthecity at Listowel on Monday evening.

Partnering the 6-5 favourite for his father, Willie, he came with a wet sail to land the Eric Browne Memorial INH Flat Race going away in the end, by a length and quarter from Big Dee.

It marks another fine achievement for the County Carlow native, who has been crowned champion amateur jockey in Ireland a record-breaking 15 times. In 2012, he beat the record of 72 winners for an amateur rider in a calendar year in Ireland, which had been set by Billy Parkinson in 1915, setting the new mark at 74. His best seasonal tally is 68 winners in the 2012/2013 season.

He beat Ted Walsh’s long-standing amateur record of 545 winners in July 2018 at Sligo when taking the bumper on Queens Boulevard.

Mullins said: “I probably should have a few more, but the aim is to get to 1,000 so I have a few more years to go.

“We have had a huge amount of summer bumper fillies in this year and obviously with Jamie (Codd) taking the summer off it is a big help.”

Regarding the Roger Brookhouse-owned Luckinthecity, he added: “He just shied at the tape although doing a circle at the start was probably a good idea! For luck nobody wanted to make the running so we were able to make up the ground quite easily.

“We went steady so didn’t lose much ground and he showed a great turn of foot, which he doesn’t show at home. Obviously on grass he is better and the owner stands the stallion and he looks a nice type.”

Elsewhere on the card, Samui may have earned himself a trip to Cheltenham later in the year after lunging late to secure top honours in the Liam Healy Memorial Lartigue Hurdle.

A field of 18 runners went to post for the €60,000 feature on day two of the Harvest Festival, with Samui the 4-1 favourite as part of a four-strong team for trainer Gordon Elliot.

With heavy rain before the race ensuring conditions were testing, plenty had cried enough by the time the leaders rounded the home turn, at which point Dark Note appeared to be travelling best of all.

But Samui was delivered with a well-time challenge by 5lb claimer Danny Gillian and got up in the dying strides to prevail by a head.

“I was worried about the ground, which is yielding, but he went through it better than most. I was actually very nervous about my four runners due to the rain which came,” said Elliott.

“Whatever happened he choked with Jack (Kennedy, jockey) the last day at Ballinrobe, but it worked out today.

“I don’t think he is a winter horse but is definitely a type to head to Cheltenham in November. We might then put him away as he could also run on the Flat next year.”

Mayor’s Walk had earlier impressed on her rules debut for Henry de Bromhead in the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Mares Maiden Hurdle.

Bought after winning a point-to-point for Colin Bowe, the 5-1 shot looks a promising recruit judged on this six-and-a-half-length success in the hands of Rachael Blackmore.

“She won a point-to-point for Colin Bowe and is really nice. She a lovely mare and hopefully that’s just the start of her now,” said the jockey.

“She had done a nice bit of work at home but at this time of year they will always improve and she gave me a lovely feel. Her jumping is really good and professional and she was very straightforward for me.”

Aeros Luck (3-1) led home a one-two for Gavin Cromwell in the Connolly’s RED MILLS Irish EBF Auction Maiden Hurdle, with his stablemate Pampar Lady (66-1) clear of the remainder in second.

“Aeros Luck deserved that as he had been banging on the door. He was very keen the last day but is learning and settled lovely on the flat track today,” said Cromwell.

“Pampar Lady ran a cracker and I fancied her to run a cracker. I told one of the owners to have a fiver each-way and he did the forecast!”

Cromwell doubled up in the Adare Manor Opportunity Handicap Hurdle with Patrick O’Brien steering 5-1 shot The King Of Prs to a clearcut win.

Nat Phillips remains a doubt for Celtic’s Champions League opener against Feyenoord despite training on the eve of the game.

The on-loan Liverpool defender saw his debut cut short on Saturday when he injured his ankle towards the end of the first half against Dundee.

Phillips was replaced by Gustaf Lagerbielke at half-time, although he was only scheduled to play an hour in his first appearance since his loan move.

Boss Brendan Rodgers said at the De Kuip Stadium in Rotterdam on Monday evening: “Nat has rolled his ankle so we will just have to see on that.

“But other than that pretty much the guys are fine, they are working their way up to fitness. Apart from that they are OK.”

Liam Scales is Rodgers’ other recognised centre-back option with Cameron Carter-Vickers, Stephen Welsh and Maik Nawrocki missing through injury.

Scales has started each of the last three matches and helped Celtic keep clean sheets against St Johnstone, Rangers and Dundee.

Rodgers’ squad trained at Celtic Park before flying out to the Netherlands on Monday afternoon.

Jenni Hermoso has not been included in Spain’s first squad since lifting the Women’s World Cup but 15 of her title-winning team-mates have been called up despite announcing a boycott last month.

A group of 81 players, including all 23 members of the World Cup squad, indicated three weeks ago that they would not play for Spain again while Luis Rubiales remained Spanish football federation (RFEF) president as a result of his behaviour at the final.

Rubiales caused a huge controversy after kissing midfielder Hermoso on the lips during the medal ceremony following the team’s 1-0 victory over England. Hermoso insists she did not consent to the kiss.

Amid increasing pressure, Rubiales finally resigned from his post last week but 39 players, including 21 of Spain’s World Cup winners, released a statement on Friday saying that was not enough to trigger their return to national-team duty.

The players said they were not yet “in a safe place” to return and that the problems at the RFEF ran far deeper than Rubiales.

However, new Spain coach Montse Tome – who had been due to name her squad on Friday – has now included 15 of the world champions in her 23-player squad for the upcoming Nations League matches against Sweden and Switzerland.

Mauricio Pochettino admitted he empathised with Thiago Silva’s frustration after the defender appeared to lose his temper with Chelsea teammates during their goalless draw at Bournemouth on Sunday.

At one stage, whilst in possession of the ball during the first half at the Vitality Stadium, the defender was visibly angered by the team’s set-up, with little movement in front of him and huge gaps between forward players and the defence.

Silva, who turns 39 on Friday, is one of the club’s most experienced and successful players having won seven Ligue 1 titles with Paris St Germain, the Serie A title with AC Milan and the Champions League with Chelsea in 2021.

He has also collected 113 caps for Brazil during a 15-year international career.

By contrast three of his teammates who started the draw with Bournemouth – Lesley Ugochukwu, Levi Colwill and Malo Gusto – were not born when Silva made his professional debut for Brazilian third-tier side RS Futebol in 2002.

With an average age of just over 23 Chelsea have the youngest squad in this season’s Premier League, and an injury crisis that has left Pochettino without 12 first-team players has increased his dependency on youth.

“We need to be more relaxed,” said Blues boss Pochettino. “Sometimes the defensive players want to help the team to score because the feeling is that we are creating chances but can’t score.

“Then we need to be clever. Thiago has experience, but too many players (in the team) are still learning about the game. That is the construction and the building of a new team. There are many rules in football that you can’t write.

“In these type of games when you are pushing, pushing, trying to score and if you don’t score, it’s normal (to be frustrated), you know.”

Pochettino also clarified the absences of Marc Cucurella, Noni Madueke and Moises Caicedo, none of whom were in Sunday’s squad.

Instead the manager was forced to name three players who were 19 and under with no first-team experience on the bench, as well as two goalkeepers.

“Cucurella had a fever (on Saturday) and was at home and didn’t train,” said Pochettino. “Noni came from the national team with a muscle problem. Caicedo came with a knock in his knee.

“We need to assess (on Monday). That’s why they weren’t available, plus another 10 or 11 players.”

Samui may have earned himself a trip to Cheltenham later in the year after lunging late to secure top honours in the Liam Healy Memorial Lartigue Hurdle at Listowel.

A field of 18 runners went to post for the €60,000 feature on day two of the Harvest Festival, with Samui the 4-1 favourite as part of a four-strong team for trainer Gordon Elliot.

With heavy rain before the race ensuring conditions were testing, plenty had cried enough by the time the leaders rounded the home turn, at which point Dark Note appeared to be travelling best of all.

But Samui was delivered with a well-time challenge by 5lb claimer Danny Gillian and got up in the dying strides to prevail by a head.

“I was worried about the ground, which is yielding, but he went through it better than most. I was actually very nervous about my four runners due to the rain which came,” said Elliott.

“Whatever happened he choked with Jack (Kennedy, jockey) the last day at Ballinrobe but it worked out today.

“I don’t think he is a winter horse but is definitely a type to head to Cheltenham in November. We might then put him away as he could also run on the Flat next year.”

Mayor’s Walk had earlier impressed on her rules debut for Henry de Bromhead in the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Mares Maiden Hurdle.

Bought after winning a point-to-point for Colin Bowe, the 5-1 shot looks a promising recruit judged on this six-and-a-half-length success in the hands of Rachael Blackmore.

“She won a point-to-point for Colin Bowe and is really nice. She a lovely mare and hopefully that’s just the start of her now,” said the jockey.

“She had done a nice bit of work at home but at this time of year they will always improve and she gave me a lovely feel. Her jumping is really good and professional and she was very straightforward for me.”

Aeros Luck (3-1) led home a one-two for Gavin Cromwell in the Connolly’s RED MILLS Irish EBF Auction Maiden Hurdle, with his stablemate Pampar Lady (66-1) clear of the remainder in second.

“Aeros Luck deserved that as he had been banging on the door. He was very keen the last day but is learning and settled lovely on the flat track today,” said Cromwell.

“Pampar Lady ran a cracker and I fancied her to run a cracker. I told one of the owners to have a fiver each-way and he did the forecast!”

Cromwell doubled up in the Adare Manor Opportunity Handicap Hurdle with Patrick O’Brien steering 5-1 shot The King Of Prs to a clearcut win.

England captain George Williams is keen to avenge their World Cup semi-final loss which “haunted” him with victory in their upcoming three-match Test series with Tonga.

England were one of the favourites heading into last year’s World Cup before they were sent crashing out of the competition following a 26-27 loss to Samoa, just weeks after they previously thrashed them 60-6 in the group stage phase.

Williams gears his side up for the challenge of the Tonga series, which is due to get under way on October 22 at the Totally Wicked Stadium in St Helens.

The 28-year-old half-back admitted it took him weeks to swallow the World Cup heartbreak, but is eager to put things right with success over Tonga.

“It’s the hardest I’ve taken a loss,” Williams said. “I’m usually pretty good at switching off and moving on, but that Samoa game haunted me for a good few weeks. I know you might think that’s not too long, but everyday thinking about a game is torture really when you don’t get the right outcome.

“I think that’s a lesson learnt for us, we were the form team at the World Cup, but the big game when it mattered we weren’t where we needed to be so it’s a lesson taught for us that we can’t have any days off.”

The visit of Tonga represents a different kind of challenge for Williams, who was named as captain for the first time in his career.

Williams knows the series will be a massive learning curve for himself and is excited by the uncertainty of what to expect.

He continued: “I’ve got to learn and lean on other leaders, lean on (Shaun) Wane and just do my best.

“I feel I’ve earned it and in the last two years that I’ve learnt as a leader so it’s like anything, you have to learn on the job. I’ll get thrown some situations that I’ve not dealt with before and do my best to handle them.

“I’ve grown as a leader in the last two or three years. I think going to the NRL helped me massively, meeting new players and learning off different leaders. I’m really looking forward to the challenge and I’m really proud too.”

Before the end-of-season series, Williams focuses his attention on getting his Betfred Super League side, Warrington, into the play-offs as they face a nail-biting clash with Huddersfield on the last day of the season, where a win will guarantee a spot in the top six.

Warrington currently occupy sixth position, but are level on points with Salford, who play Hull. Williams is confident his side will be involved in the play-offs in what has been one of the most competitive seasons in recent memory.

He said: “The table does not lie. There’s three teams fighting for top spot and three other fighting for a play-off spot and that’s how you want it to be.

“Every game matters, every try matters with the points difference so this is the closest season I’ve been involved with for sure.”