Leeds Rhinos star emerges as England World Cup bolter after remarkable form

The battle to land a seat on the plane to Australia is heating up, and new names are making a late play to be part of Brian McDermott’s side.

Right at the top of that list is Leeds Rhinos prop Tom Holroyd, whose late-season form simply cannot go unnoticed by McDermott and the England coaches as the season comes towards the business end of the year.

Holroyd was not a part of McDermott’s 30-man performance squad named earlier this year, with a number of players in both Super League and NRL preferred ahead of him.

And while there is little doubt that England are blessed with options in the middle, Holroyd’s recent form will make him difficult to ignore among a plethora of talent.

His impact off the bench was clear to see on Friday night as Leeds downed Toulouse. Time and time again he punched a hole through Toulouse with his physicality proving too much for them. This isn’t something new, though. What has stood out beyond his contributions is the length of time he has been doing it for in games. Holroyd is playing decent minutes and the quality of his output doesn’t drop.

Stats back it up. He has made over 100 metres in four of his last seven outings, contributing three tackle busts per game. Defensively, he’s averaging 19.28 tackles per game with a success rate of 95.7%. That’s good going for any prop at any level. Amplifying that is the amount of repeat efforts he is making in defence, producing eight tackles from marker against Toulouse.

He’s proving to be a try threat too, having scored in his last three games. That won’t be at the top of McDermott’s priority list from his middle unit but at a time when McDermott is looking for a point of difference, it certainly counts for something.

England have some great props but many are cut from similar cloth. Where many provide work-rate and solidity, Holroyd offers genuine impact.

It has taken Holroyd a while to take his game to the next level since his arrival in Super League as a 17-year-old. But after a strong season last year, Holroyd’s game has gone to another level this year under Brad Arthur, and he now looks ready to challenge himself on the international stage.