Dominic Young draws Martin Offiah comparisons after England beat France in Rugby League World Cup BBC Sport

Dominic Young draws Martin Offiah comparisons after England beat France in Rugby League World Cup BBC Sport

Dominic Young draws Martin Offiah comparisons after England beat France in Rugby League World Cup - BBC Sport Homepage

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Dominic Young draws Martin Offiah comparisons after England beat France in Rugby League World Cup

By Shamoon HafezBBC Sport at University of Bolton Stadium Last updated on 1 hour ago1 hour ago.From the section Rugby Leaguecomments24Rugby League World Cup 2021Hosts: England Dates: 15 October to 19 NovemberCoverage: Watch live on BBC TV, BBC iPlayer and online; Live commentary on Radio 5 Live and Sports Extra; Live texts and highlights on BBC Sport website & app It was the moment that brought the fans in Bolton to their feet and left them screaming in delight. With England leading 36-12 against France and 14 minutes left on the clock, winger Dominic Young intercepted a pass on his own tryline and set off at speed. Roared on by the home crowd, there was no stopping the 21-year-old as he left the French defence trailing before touching down his fourth try in his first two Tests. So impressive has his impact been in this World Cup, BBC TV pundits drew comparisons with legendary England and Great Britain winger Martin Offiah. "There are scorch marks on the grass, he's that fast," said Wales head coach John Kear on BBC TV. "It was a bit like Martin Offiah back in the day. He was flying," said former England head coach Steve McNamara. "The whole crowd erupted," added former England star Jamie Jones-Buchanan. "It was like the 100m final at an Olympics."England beat France to close in on quarter-final spotCoach Wane confident of England improvementWorld Cup fixtures, results and BBC coverage times

' He is a star'

Young made his debut in England's final warm-up match against Fiji in front of a handful of fans in Salford. However, he burst onto the international stage with two tries in the thumping victory over Samoa last weekend and followed it up with two more against France. Before the tournament, Young spoke about wanting to "prove a point" in England after not being given first-team opportunities at Huddersfield and moving to Australia to play for Newcastle Knights. Now back on home soil for the first time since leaving in 2019 he is doing just that and he delighted the fans with his quick-fire double. His first try at the University of Bolton Stadium was an easy run in after a lay-off from Jack Welsby but his second will leave fans talking about it until their next game. Having seen Australia's Josh Addo-Carr rip Scotland apart with four tries on Friday night, a footrace between Young and the NRL's quickest player would be an intriguing prospect in the latter stages of the competition. The 21-year-old, in full flight, is a joy to behold, pumping his long legs like a racehorse galloping down the final furlong. "He makes you dare to dream of England winning the World Cup," said former England international Jon Wilkin. "He is a try scorer, he is a star, he has lit up the World Cup." The moment Young gets the ball the crowd expects something to happen, said former England captain Jamie Peacock. "He is a superstar in the making,. When he gets the ball in his hands the crowd comes alive. You can feel the excitement. "What makes him stand out are he has moments of individual brilliance but he's got some fantastic team-mates who are putting him in the right place at the fight time to score some wonderful tries."

Young ' needs fine-tuning'

Ryan Hall registered the two opening tries in the game to take his tally to 37 for England, moving joint-third on the all-time list on the international stage. "It is great training with Dom," Hall said afterwards. "He is a young athlete and is still learning the game. He has obvious raw talents which he has displayed and he will get better and better with age." But Hall urged a word of caution on the fledgling winger. "There is something I need to work on with him," said Hall cryptically without revealing what that something is. "He needs fine-tuning in a couple of areas but his head is like a sponge and he will absorb everything and will pick things up. "He has started off in the right manner, I am sure you will be hearing his name for years to come." Former England international Wilkin added: "Young has had an exceptional start to this World Cup and his England career. He is so compelling on the right side." Young's place looked nailed on, but head coach Wane now has a selection dilemma on the left flank, whether to stick with veteran Hall or bring back Tommy Makinson. Whoever gets the nod will be aiming to help maintain England's 100% record in the final group game against Greece in Sheffield next week. Get through that unscathed and the real tests start emerging in the knockout stage.commentsView Comments24

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To use comments you will need to have JavaScript enabled. 24 commentsF

Comment posted by Fed Up today at 22 59Fed Up

22:59Why do the BBC always have to compare today's sports personalities with those of yesterday's year? Totally different game, no comparison to be made. Maybe we should start comparing how good the BBC used to be in terms of sports reporting with good quality commentators back in the day, with the rubbish peddling the craft today.00W

Comment posted by Waint today at 22 52Waint

22:52Let’s see how good he is when England play a team they could lose to. That’s means NZ or Aus. Comparisons until then are pointless.00H

Comment posted by Hopalongprop today at 22 51Hopalongprop

22:51Good that DY is having a good tournament & hopefully it will generate some momentum for the tournament in the Qtrs.
The organisers have to take responsibility for empty seats though - even during this match. No good blaming covid or cost of living or whatever. As I understand it the tickets aren't even that expensive? Surely the last WC should've served as warning. Revisit & rethink everything00P

Comment posted by PieNtries today at 22 50PieNtries

22:50He’s absolute class - England have three utterly world class wingers. NZ and Aus also have beasts in the wing - JAC what a player. Building up nicely - going to be some big bangs in the Qs and Semis…00S

Comment posted by SteelerBull today at 22 46SteelerBull

22:46How long before the other code knocks on his door....... just saying.00P

Reply posted by PieNtries today at 22 49PieNtries

22:49to SteelerBull"How long before the other code knocks on his door....... just saying."PieNtries replied: He plays in Aus on mega bucks - the sun shines there and no one goes bust. Just saying00More replies (1)downM

Comment posted by Marlonjd today at 22 38Marlonjd

22:38Exciting player. I've loved watching him so far. Hopefully much more to come from him10C

Comment posted by corvus13 today at 22 34corvus13

22:34I'm liking the look of this Dom Young character. Suggestions that he chased down Addo Carr in a nrl match. Wow! Thing is with Offiah thought is that he had a scarey instinct for getting to the tryline?00B

Comment posted by Bobby Burrows today at 22 33Bobby Burrows

22:332 in 1 day!! Aren't we a lucky Bunch ???001

Comment posted by 147break today at 22 21147break

22:21OK Young scored 2 tries - one having received a pass 2 yards from the line and with no defenders in front of him while the second was an interception ... hardly enough to compare him to Martin Offiah !10R

Comment posted by ron watt today at 22 19ron watt

22:19It will take a lot more to light up this World Cup ,too many one sided matches and empty stadiums, impossible to hype this up, probably take 3 hours to get 100 comments23B

Reply posted by Bobby Burrows today at 22 34Bobby Burrows

22:34to ron watt"It will take a lot more to light up this World Cup ,too many one sided matches and empty stadiums, impossible to hype this up, probably take 3 hours to get 100 comments"Bobby Burrows replied: I'm trying my hardest to help the M62 Northern Englishmen out to try make it look like people care01More replies (1)down1

Comment posted by 147break today at 22 16147break

22:16Young may become good ... but until he scores even a quarter of the tries Offiah did then there can be no comparison.00L

Comment posted by London0Hull4 today at 22 14London0Hull4

22:14Joe Lydon = the real length of the pitch man.30W

Comment posted by Werewolf-Therewolf today at 22 14Werewolf-Therewolf

22:14What a refreshing change from watching overpaid crybaby soccer players falling over and haranguing referees.41R

Reply posted by ron watt today at 22 22ron watt

22:22to Werewolf-Therewolf"What a refreshing change from watching overpaid crybaby soccer players falling over and haranguing referees."ron watt replied: What’s refreshing about watching one sided matches,there is no need to harangue a referee when you are winning by 30 points and definitely none when you are losing by 3022More replies (2)downS

Comment posted by Stueyg today at 22 13Stueyg

22:13Dom Young take a bow!50M

Comment posted by Mitrovic today at 22 12Mitrovic

22:12Who?12K

Comment posted by KevH today at 22 11KevH

22:11That was quick Dom Young!!10E

Comment posted by evening today at 22 10evening

22:10Only one offiah30Back to topunknown

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