THINGS have moved pretty quickly for Rob Butler.

At the start of 2019, he was playing for Coventry Bears in League One on dual-registration – part-time rugby league.

He ended that year in the England Knights team and although Covid disrupted his development in 2020, his rise has taken another jump with a move to Warrington Wolves.

“To be honest, I haven’t really thought about it,” he said, discussing his rapid progression.

“When it’s all happening, you just get on with it.

“When that kind of thing is put in front of you – playing in Super League and for England Lions – you just take it and run with it for as long as you can.

“You enjoy the opportunities without overthinking it.”

Off the field, too, the move north is a big step for Butler as he moves away from his native Kent.

It was there that he first crossed paths with rugby league, as difficult as that is to believe.

He learned his trade at the Medway Dragons club and as he explains, it was a major commitment for both him and his family.

“All the games were far away from home – even for junior league games you would be travelling for more than an hour to get there,” he said.

“It was a big commitment so I have my parents to thank for that.

“I played football until I was 11 and then played rugby union after that.

“Our coach also coached our local rugby league team – I had only just started out in union but he asked me to go along as they were a little low on numbers.

“They had only been running as a team for two or three years. I went down to training and it just went from there.”

Already, he has noticed one distinct difference between north and south.

“I’ve bought a house in Warrington – it’s certainly a lot cheaper than down South,” he said.

“I’m really excited and it’s a good opportunity to move out fully and start out on my own.”

Once he arrives in Warrington, he will be joining an old friend and teammate in the shape of Wire forward Matt Davis.

The pair played together at London Broncos, both in the academy and the first team, but Butler says he did not need the hard sell.

“It will be good to see him again,” he said.

“I’ve spoken to him a few times since this move came about – he’s a good lad and he’s tried to help me out with a few things here and there. He’s absolutely killing it up there.

“He’s explained a few things about the place and told me how he’s found it, which was really helpful.

“To be honest though, he didn’t need to sell it to me. I was pretty confident about coming here from the beginning.”