WOLVES new boy Benjamin Jullien admits he has been impressed by the passion of The Wire faithful since arriving at the club.
The young Frenchman joined in the off-season after playing much of his 2015 rugby with North Wales Crusaders and has made a number of impressive appearances in recent weeks.
His superb stint from the bench at centre in the win over Wigan last month, which also saw him score his first Wolves try, was rewarded with a start in last weekend’s Challenge Cup win over Oldham.
He repaid Tony Smith’s faith in him with two more tries and says he loves hearing the Wolves fans chanting his name.
“All the Warrington fans have been great with me, it is always good to go over and see them after the game,” he said.
“When you are on the pitch and you hear them shouting your name it is very impressive, it’s a great feeling.”
Jullien’s partnership with man-of-the-match Ben Currie on the left edge looked promising on Saturday and he says linking up with the England international made playing outside his preferred position of second row easier.
“Playing last week next to Ben Currie was amazing, when you play with him he makes it look easy,” he said.
“He makes all the runs so you know you are going to score tries when you play outside him.”
The 21-year-old has lived a somewhat nomadic existence in his pursuit of a career in rugby league, spending time in Australia with feeder teams of the Brisbane Broncos after coming through the ranks at Sporting Olympique Avignon, where he came to the attention of Wolves first team coach Richard Agar in his capacity as head coach of the French national team.
He trained with Wolves full-time during his spell at North Wales, impressing enough to earn a contract for this season and the four-cap France international says he’s loving life at The Wire.
“It’s been good, I’m living on the university campus next to the training ground and I am really happy in the town,” he said.
“It is a bit different to France with a lot of rain but it’s good!
“All the players have been really good with me since I came here, I really feel part of the team now.
“When I got my first try against Wigan, all the guys came over and were very happy for me. It was a great moment and I’m enjoying playing."
This year represents Jullien’s first taste of Super League and, while he admits he found it tough at first, he says he is adjusting well to the demands of the competition.
The latest test comes against Wakefield on Sunday and he says the team need to improve on certain areas if they are to get the win that will see them stay top of the table.
“It’s a difficult competition, we have games every week and the preparation is tough with a lot of intensity,” he said.
“The first couple of months was very hard for me getting used to training but now I’m getting used to it.
“They (Wakefield) are a good team with some great forwards, we need to make a better start than last week.
“We need to control the ruck and be quick on the edges, if we do that we can win but Wakefield are a good team for sure.”
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