“One more sock! One more sock!”
That was the chant from fans at Coventry Building Society Stadium as Josh Addo-Carr stood in the cold after scoring a hat-trick of tries against Scotland and gradually stripped off each piece of his Kangaroos kit.
Despite the freezing conditions, the star winger spent about 45 minutes posing for selfies, signing autographs and handing over his playing kit to fans who had travelled from all over England to watch Australia play.
Eventually, Addo-Carr was down to just one sock, which he then removed and handed over the fence before heading up the tunnel to join his team-mates in the dressing room.
One red hot minute: Josh Addo-Carr
“The fans over here are mad and I have really enjoyed it,” Addo-Carr said. “I just love playing football at the moment, and I love the crowds.
“When we played in Coventry it sounded like there was a lot more people than there were. It is a big stadium, but it felt full.
“You see a lot of English games and how they sing along, so I have just been keen to embrace it all and experience rugby league in a different country.
“It is not every day they get to see NRL players playing over here, and if we want to build the game to where we all want it to be, it is completely up to us to make it entertaining for everyone around the world.”
Addo-Carr has certainly been doing his part to entertain fans, scoring 11 tries in three World Cup appearances for the Kangaroos ahead of this weekend’s semi-final against New Zealand at Elland Road in Leeds.
Addo-Carr named player of the match
The Bulldogs winger needs just one more try to equal the World Cup record of 16, held by Australian team-mate Valentine Holmes, whose six tries against Fiji in the 2017 tournament is also the most in a World Cup match.
After crossing for his third try against Scotland, Addo-Carr was reminded by Holmes of the record and he was frantically calling for the ball during the Kangaroos last set of possession against Lebanon last weekend.
“We were just spinning yarns on the field after I scored my third try and Val yelled ‘you aren’t going to catch me, I’m on six’. Everyone just started cracking up on the field,” Addo-Carr said.
“That’s the type of team we have. We have characters and everyone loves having a laugh.
“If I do break the record, it will be wonderful for Australia and obviously for my family. Only the best players play in the World Cup so for my name to be up there would be pretty special for me and my family at home as well.”
Addo-Carr bags a handful
Yet there was a time during the season when Addo-Carr admitted to worrying he may not be picked for the World Cup after being dropped from the NSW team for the State of Origin series.
Addo-Carr insists he accepted the decision but wants to regain his position outside Latrell Mitchell on the left edge for the Blues next year.
“It was always a goal of mine to make this team for the World Cup and at the time I was like, ‘would it have made it easier if played Origin or would I have to earn it more because I didn’t play Origin’,” he said.
“The thoughts were going through my head, but it is what it is now. I am here and I have moved on from all the Origin stuff.
“It just wasn’t my time this year with Origin and the Blues boys, but hopefully I can put my best foot forward next year and get my spot back.”
Addo-Carr wins player of the match
As one of just a handful of survivors from Australia’s last Test before the World Cup, a 20-16 loss to Tonga in 2019, Addo-Carr is determined to help the Kangaroos climb from fourth spot in the IRL World Rankings to the top.
The Kiwis are currently ranked No.1 and while no one in the Australian camp will admit it publicly they are bemused by the rankings - despite having won just two of their four Tests since the 2017 World Cup – and want order restored.
“That was a disappointing loss [against Tonga]. I remember it was like yesterday and we just didn’t play our best footy,” Addo-Carr said.
“As everyone knows, Australia is a winning team and we have got standards that we need to uphold. There are expectations because there have been great teams in the past that won, so we need to keep that going.
“We have got a great new team now and some young fellows coming through, so we have got to build our own legacy.”
Having spent five seasons in Melbourne before joining Canterbury this year, Addo-Carr is enjoying playing outside star playmaker Cameron Munster again and with Latrell Mitchell in the centres Australia possess a lethal left edge.
This article contains content that is only available on NRL.com
However, he also knows the dangers the Kiwis will pose, with Storm halfback Jahrome Hughes, hooker Brandon Smith and forwards Jesse Bromwich, Kenny Bromwich and Nelson Asofa-Solomona in their line-up.
“It is always a tough game against the Kiwis," Addo-Carr said. "I think we just need to go out there and play our style of football. That is what we have focused on the last couple of weeks.
“It is definitely going to be great for the fans here in the UK. The ultimate goal is to win the World Cup and everyone knows that, but our focus now is on New Zealand."