Jermaine McGillvary sacrifices England chances to extend Huddersfield Giants career

Jermaine McGillvary admits he has sacrificed the chance of playing in a home World Cup to maximise the chance of being part of creating history with Huddersfield Giants. McGillvary caught many off-guard last week when he announced he was bringing the curtain down on his England career at the age of 34.

His form this year, and the fact he had been named in Shaun Wane's train-on squad ahead of the mid-season international break, suggested he was very much part of the thinking for the World Cup this autumn. But McGillvary insisted that he wants to prolong his career with Huddersfield as long as possible before retiring from club rugby.

That meant he felt he had no choice but to step away from England and ensure he gives everything to his hometown club - with a new contract beyond the end of his current one at the end of next year his focus as Ian Watson's side target silverware in the years ahead.

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"It's something I've been considering since I didn't get picked mid-season last year," he told Rugby League Live. "I was picked for France but I had some family things to deal with so I had to pull out of that game. It's one of those things, I'm at an age where it takes longer to recover from games.

"With a mid-season Test and then a World Cup and being thrown back into pre-season without much of a break, I've played well this year and I think it's because I had a proper break. I think it will prolong my club career and help me get an extra year at least with Huddersfield.

"It's a new era for Huddersfield. I've maybe got two more years maximum after this, and I want to make sure I'm at the top for those two years and not plodding along and