Kallum Watkins delighted to reach milestone with Leeds
The Rhinos centre will make his 200th appearance for the club on Friday.
“Every minute matters” was the slogan produced by the Rugby Football League to mark the new competition format and it has particular resonance for Kallum Watkins as he prepares to make his 200th appearance for Leeds.
Friday’s Betfred Super League clash with Wigan at Headingley will be the England centre’s 44th in a row for the Rhinos and he has played every minute of those games, a total of 3,420 which equates to 57 hours in total.
The durable Watkins, 26, also played every minute of the Four Nations Series for his country and his only rest came in October’s international against France in Avignon.
“I only played an hour in that,” Watkins said. “Obviously not being in the forwards, you’re never really going to get taken off unless you’re injured.
“My position is tough and it’s hard work at times but it makes you think of the forwards going through the tough stuff throughout those minutes. They need that rest.
“It’s not something I think about too much. I just go out there and do a job and aim to be consistent.”
Manchester-born Watkins, who made his debut for Leeds in a Challenge Cup tie against Celtic Crusaders in April 2008, has enjoyed a relatively clean bill of health since undergoing a knee reconstruction in 2010.
He has not missed a game since their Super 8s clash with Catalans Dragons towards the end of the 2015 season and he is delighted to get the chance to reach his milestone at Headingley.
“It’s a huge thing for me, especially here as well and playing Wigan,” he said. “It’s an honour to play that many games for a fantastic club. I’m immensely proud of that.
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“It will be a big challenge for us on Friday, it always is against Wigan. The main focus is getting a good result.”
Leeds have enjoyed three good results since their fortunes hit rock bottom with a Super League record 66-10 defeat at Castleford a month ago, a humiliation that is now firmly behind them.
“We hope so,” Watkins said. “We just needed to react to it, talk to each other and be honest with each other.”
