Scotland's two-try hero Ben Hellewell hopes his international performances will show his new club coach that he is worth a place in the Featherstone Rovers team.
Centre Hellewell touched down twice in the Bravehearts' exhilarating 30-all draw with Italy on Sunday and looked comfortable playing against NRL stars, despite the fact he could not break into the Championship team for much of last season, ending up on loan at Barrow.
"I came into this tournament hoping to prove myself," said the 21-year-old speedster who will be managed by his former coach at Warrington Academy, John Bastian, next year.
"I want to use it as a stepping stone. It was hard to get into the Featherstone team last year as they were a good side but it's making me feel better that I can shine against better players. Hopefully I can take that confidence and use it to get into the Featherstone team next season."
Hellewell's brace came in a terrific second half during which both teams swapped tries, ending with five apiece. The first, on 50 minutes, saw former New South Wales State of Origin star Peter Wallace show his class with a cut-out pass to winger Brett Carter, who calmly and fed Hellewell inside him to score.
His second drew Scotland level after they had trailed for the first time in the game, finishing a terrific team move from left to right after Danny Brough had created a break with a stunning chip-and-chase.
"I just finished them off – they were team tries," said a humble Hellewell who was making his fifth appearance for Scotland. "The last try, to level the game on the last tackle, was desperation really but it went through six pairs of hands, we got it down the line and I saw a space and just touched it down."
Hellewell and his team-mates face a do-or-die clash with the USA on Thursday. They had a recovery session in the pool straight after the game and another on Monday before a video review of the Italy game. Coach Steve McCormack opted to give his team time to recover rather than training until they got to Manchester.
"It's a major game for us and hopefully we'll get the win and hope the other games go our way," said Bradford-born Hellewell who qualifies for Scotland via a grandfather from Aberdeen.
"It'll be a strange situation having to wait until Sunday to know if we're through. That will be tense. We'll have fingers crossed, everything crossed!"
