England winger Tom Roebuck has described this weekend's historic Nations Championship Test against Fiji at Everton's Hill Dickinson Stadium as a 'massive opportunity' to unlock a new generation of rugby fans across the North West.
The Sale Sharks flyer, born in Chester and recalled to Steve Borthwick's squad after George Furbank's injury, said taking England away from their traditional London home is a huge moment for rugby union in the region.
First Test in Liverpool
Saturday's Nations Championship clash will be the first time England have played a Test match in Liverpool, with the national side set to showcase international rugby at Everton's new waterfront stadium.
Roebuck, a former Wirral Grammar School for Boys student, said the occasion could prove transformative for supporters who have rarely had the opportunity to watch England on home soil without travelling to Twickenham.
"I have never played in a football stadium so that should be something new," he said. "For me personally, it's an opportunity to bring rugby to the north of England. A lot of the games have been down at Allianz Twickenham in the past so for the north to have an opportunity to witness the English rugby team come up to them for a change is massive and hopefully allows new fans to come and see the spectacle."
Untapped potential in the north
Roebuck believes the region has been overlooked by the Rugby Football Union (RFU) in terms of hosting major international fixtures. "It could almost be deemed as an untapped place, the north. There's such quality rugby going on up there, me myself being from the north, I've seen it so for an opportunity for those fans to see that and witness it and also be a part of it, it's massive."
"This is the first time that there's a Test that's come to Liverpool. I know that myself from the north, I haven't had access to that as much as maybe some people down in the south have with the travel and all that, so an opportunity for the north is massive."
Teammates share enthusiasm
Roebuck's excitement is echoed by England teammate Henry Pollock, who believes taking Test rugby into one of English football's newest stadiums will help introduce the sport to fresh audiences. "It's going be so amazing to branch out to those fans that may have never seen live Test Match rugby before," Pollock said. "Anyone that has never seen it, please get down to these games, especially at football stadiums, which is going to be cool. Make sure you get a ticket and hopefully we'll put up a big show."
Marcus Smith also highlighted the importance of the fixture for strengthening rugby's presence across the North West. "We don't get the opportunity to play around the country," Smith said. "A lot of the time we're asking our northern fans to travel down to London to watch games, so to be a part of something that potentially will excite the north, galvanise rugby up in the north and showcase the England team up there would be amazing."
"I know how passionate they are up north about rugby and it's a great chance to showcase the hard work we put in as an England team, bring that to the north and hopefully sell out a football stadium."
