England centre Herbie Farnworth has reunited with his uncle Brian Foley in Lancashire for individualised sessions with six training poles to perform at his peak at the Rugby League World Cup.
The Brisbane Broncos outside back, who made his Test debut in England's 60-16 win over Samoa, honed his skills as a young boy with Foley on a village green in the Lancashire village of Blacko with the same six poles.
Foley was a development coach and recruiter for the Wigan Warriors before his retirement and took Farnworth on regular trips to Australia to play rugby league before he eventually signed with the Broncos.
The duo could often be seen on the Broncos' training field doing extras with the poles until Foley was unable to return from England in 2020 once COVID struck.
"The last time we trained together was in Australia before COVID so it is nice to be working on Herbie's movement in and out of the six poles again at Blacko," Foley told AAP from Lancashire.
The drills focus on mastering the fundamental skills that Farnworth has since credited with kick-starting his career in the NRL with the Broncos.
The 22-year-old is in camp with England, but when he has spare days he visits his uncle.
"The training we do is reverting back to the drills he mastered as a young child," Foley said.
"It is all about revisiting the skill, technique and explosiveness which is the foundation of his athletic prowess, which you see in Herbie's speed and agility.
"Those are the fundamental components of his game that he has always looked to master.
"Of course, Herbie works with the England coaches in camp on the patterns and tactics. When we work together it is on the individualised program that we have always concentrated on."
Farnworth has been named in England's squad to play France on Saturday at the University of Bolton Stadium.
He had his best season in the NRL in 2022 and the Broncos fortunes took a turn for the worse after he suffered a biceps injury in round 14. He recovered in time to take part in the World Cup.
"Herbie gets wiser the more time he spends in the NRL and this experience on the international stage will only add to it," Foley said.
"He got his first England cap against Samoa after he played a warm-up game against Fiji.
"It was a special time for all his family and friends. Herbie's brothers Marcus and Will had never seen him play live before.
"I was very impressed with his game against Samoa. It was a typical Herbie game. He gave it everything and showed what a tremendous future he has."
