The greats of the English league played for the Tigers. Pearce-Paul hopes to follow in their footsteps

He also spoke to Ellis last year, who he hopes to emulate after describing him as a “tough, old-school Pommy”.

Pearce-Paul, like Ellis, is a big back-rower who, after winning the Super League title in 2023, served in the NRL with Newcastle, where he played 44 games, enough to earn him selection in England’s squad for the recent Ashes series.

While Australia won 3–0, Pearce-Paul was one of the few members of the home team to hold on, averaging 84 attacking meters and 33 tackles per game in the three Tests.

The series result was a reality check, but at least England’s players now know the standard they will need to achieve to have any hope of this year’s World Cup.

“It was an eye-opener,” Pearce-Paul said of the Ashes. “You just can’t give the Aussies a chance.

“They are the best players in the world and the best league in the world and it can be a close battle when you build one little thing and have players like Nathan Cleary and [Cameron] Munster, they’ll just take advantage and finish off the tries.

“I think it surprised us, especially in the first game with [Reece] Walsh. We gave him an inch and he only took a mile.’

Having completed his international duties, Pearce-Paul has since settled in at the Tigers after signing a three-year deal midway through last season.

He insists he left the Knights on good terms – “no hard feelings at all” – but was immediately taken by a sale offer from Tigers coach Benji Marshall.

“Benji came in and showed a real interest,” he said. “He made it clear to me what he wanted me to bring to this team and it didn’t matter to me.

“I think it was one chat on the phone and then one chat in person and then I was sold.

No sooner had the 24-year-old started training with the Tigers than they became embroiled in boardroom drama that culminated in the departure of general manager Shane Richardson.

But despite critics labeling the club a “basket case”, Pearce-Paul said the controversy had had no impact on the players and coaching staff.

“We just kind of blocked out the noise,” he said.

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“I think it was a bit of an elephant in the room. You know, everybody’s on social media and you see it everywhere, but we all decided we’re just not going to be bothered by it. Let’s just focus on us.”

“At the end of the day, whatever happens up there, it doesn’t change how we train or change our goal and how we want to play this year.”

The aim, after finishing 13th last season, is to qualify for the finals for the first time since 2011. Having seen the Tigers play what he described as “some champagne rugby” in 2025, Pearce-Paul believes the play-offs are a realistic ambition.

“Not just the top eight, we want to be even higher,” he said. “So we’ve set our standards high this year and we want to be the best team we can be.