ENGLAND are in safe hands if they call on Warrington Wolves pair Daryl Clark and Chris Hill as bench men again versus the Kiwis in the second Test at Anfield on Saturday.

It is not a role either player has been too familiar with in recent times but they played important parts in England achieving a first-Test victory over New Zealand at the weekend.

They produced what England needed from at the KCOM Stadium in Hull.

For Wire skipper Hill, when he was introduced to the action after 25 minutes, it was about quickly getting himself established with the pace of the game and providing a presence to cause concerns to a big and powerful Kiwis side at a stage when the game was finely balanced at 6-6.

And all his experience from 26 previous caps was invaluable while fellow front-rower James Graham was taking a breather on the sidelines and captain Sean O’Loughlin was lost to the cause through a 14th-minute calf injury.

Hill, who has now become Warrington’s most-capped England player of all time, did his bit as Wayne Bennett’s side turned around level at 12-12 and went toe-to-toe with the Kiwis in a battle of attrition in the second period.

Clark joined the action with 18 minutes left on the clock and England trailing 16-14.

He quickly got a grip of the dummy-half play, called some shots, added energy and was on hand a few minutes later when an offload from John Bateman allowed his Wigan teammate Oliver Gildart to score the winning try from half way.

“It could have gone either way, it had been try for try, then 14-14, so for Gilly to come up with that special piece of play to win it was pretty good,” said Clark, back in the international fold for the first time since the Four Nations tournament of 2016.

“It was very physical for the time that I was on.

“We did a lot of defending in that last 20 minutes, so it was probably the wrong time to go on the pitch but I enjoyed it and just doing my part at the end, defending and trying to keep them out for the win, which we did.

“I thought the boys dug deep because we had to defend quite a lot after making a few errors and giving a few penalties away.

“I’m not the best at watching. But as long as I’m part of the team and playing my part is what matters. We won, so I’m not too fussed about my game time or anything like that.

“It’s a really good start to the three games and hopefully we can kick on now.”

Clark said his approach to a game is slightly different if he is on the bench rather than starting.

“I just try to keep calmer in the warm-up and try not to build myself up as much,” he said.

“I try to build it up a bit after the warm-up instead of building it up, letting it die off, and then back up. So I just try and time it really.”

The company of Hill on the bench came late, with the Wire prop having initially been named in the starting front row alongside Graham. The Burgess twins, George and Tom, would have then worked in tandem as the game progressed.

“I thought Hilly went pretty good,” said Clark.

“It was a bit different for him coming off the bench, because he’s used to starting, but we’re happy to do our roles for the team.

“I thought he had a good impact and had a few good moments in the game.”

Putting the England shirt on again means a lot to the 25-year-old former Castleford Tigers man.

“I was disappointed about missing out on the World Cup, but I’ve turned it round this year, had a bit of a better season with Warrington and put myself back in the frame which is always good,” said Clark.

“To get a bit of good form back and putting yourself in the picture is half the job, then while with England you’ve got to perform and keep training well.

“Hopefully I’ll get a chance again against the Kiwis.

“For the team it’s no good winning last week and not turning up this week, so we’ve got to back up the performance and get another win.”

Playing at the iconic Anfield, home to Liverpool FC, on Sunday would be pleasing for Clark too.

“Hopefully I can keep my place in the team. I’m not a Liverpool fan, I don’t really follow much football but it’s a great stadium and I’d love to get a run out there,” he said.

“It’s always nice to play at different stadiums, so hopefully I can tick that one off.”