JAMES Roby says he never gave up hope of winning an England recall in time to play in his third World Cup.

The St Helens hooker became a mainstay of the national team after making his debut in 2006 but fell down the pecking order due to the emergence of Daryl Clark and Josh Hodgson and won the last of his 26 caps in 2015.

Now 31, Roby recaptured some of the best form of his career during Saints' impressive finish to the Super League season.

He duly got the nod from coach Wayne Bennett to join Hodgson in the 24-man squad, which is now halfway through a ten-day training camp in Perth.

Roby said: "I knew I was in contention but I didn't want to take anything for granted. I wasn't involved in mid-season or the back end of last year so I was unsure, to be honest.

"I was made up when I got the phone call. You don't get too many chances to play in a World Cup in Australia. It's a special opportunity and one I'm really looking forward to.

"A lot of people have asked me if I thought I had played my last match and there is a lot of competition, especially at hooker, but I didn't get down-hearted or bitter about it.

"I just thought, I'll carry on working hard for St Helens and playing as well as I can each week, then maybe I'll get back in. Luckily I've done that."

Only his former St Helens team-mate James Graham, the other survivor from the 2008 World Cup in Australia, and Leeds winger Ryan Hall have more caps, while Roby and skipper Sean O'Loughlin are the only members of the class of 2017 who know what it feels like to beat the Kangaroos on their own turf.

Roby was still cutting his international teeth when he came off the bench to help Great Britain to a 23-12 win over Australia in Sydney in the 2006 Tri-Nations Series, a feat England will seek to emulate when they take on the cup holders in the opening game in Melbourne on Friday week.

"I was lucky enough to be involved in 2006, which was a great occasion," said Roby. "You probably didn't realise back then how significant it was.

"We've not beaten Australia since then, so obviously we need to rectify that as soon as possible and we get opportunity to do that in the first game. I don't see why we can't do well and get the other lads to experience that as well.

"If you're going to win a World Cup or do well in a World Cup, you're going to have to play the best teams, so I'm not daunted by that and I think all the lads will enjoy the challenge of it.

"We have to hit the ground running and prepare well and start well to kick on to the following week – but we've got to play Australia some time, so let's have it straight off."