Rookie England fullback has "no fear" of Slater

Most rookie international fullbacks would be daunted by the prospect of taking on classy Kangaroo Billy Slater ... but England's Gareth Widdop has "no fear" of his new NRL team-mate ahead of their must-win Four Nations clash with Australia in Melbourne this Sunday. <br><br> The 21-year-old's lack of fear is a result of the time he has spent studying Slater since he moved to Australia from Halifax, England, five years ago and has trained alongside him during his time in the Storm lower grades. <br><br> Widdop's rise through the Victorian rugby league system and Storm ranks has been rapid, culminating this year with his international debut for England, Toyota Cup team of the Year selection and signing an NRL contract for 2011 with the Storm. <br><br> "I'm looking forward to the experience of playing against Billy," he said. "The whole experience of taking on Australia who are a world class team is very exciting. Being a young fellow I've always wanted to do that. <br><br> "We're expecting them to throw all sorts of stuff at us. We just have to deal with it. <br><br> "I have no fear about facing them. They are a great team, but we have a good team too." <br><br> Widdop said "everything is on the line" in this match and he expects a better performance from England "on the big stage" at AAMI Park than their disappointing 24-10 opening loss to New Zealand last weekend. <br><br> "The key is to play with intensity in the first 20 minutes and stick with them," he said. "If we do that we will go a long way towards beating them." <br><br> For more information on the 2010 Four Nations go to <a href="http://www.rlfournations.com">www.rlfournations.com</a> and join us on <a href="http://www.facebook.com/fournations">Facebook</a>.