SAINTS full back Jonny Lomax had a busy afternoon defusing the variety of kicks the Kiwis halves threw at him on Saturday and despite the defeat remains determined to enjoy every minute of his time in the England shirt, writes Mike Parsons.

The defeat means that England must now beat Scotland on Saturday and Australia the following week to have a chance of progressing to the Four Nations Final at Anfield.

And although on the end of the one-point defeat Lomax believes England can turn it around in the crucial two weeks ahead.

Lomax said: “It was always going to be a tight game.

“They obviously felt the same and that’s why they took the one-pointer.

“Defences were going really well and it was going to have to be something special to break either team down.

“They were smart, by taking that play early.”

Although disappointed with the loss, he remains upbeat looking ahead with still all to play for.

“It was tough to take,” he said.

“I’m sure it was a great game to watch, but it was tough out there. It was constantly back and forth and it was great to be involved in that kind of game but it’s gutting to have not come away with the points.

“The goal is always to try and win every game so it doesn’t change things.

“We’ll work hard this week and try to put things right.”

Having been in and around national squad in the past, only to be denied an international shot due to injuries, Lomax hammered down the international door with some consistently high-quality displays at the back end of the Super League campaign.

He has made the most of his two run-outs in the England shirt and is enjoying the involvement with the cream of the country’s crop.

“It’s what you dream about when you’re a kid and growing up, to be running around with some of the personnel that I was on the field with and against on Saturday is fantastic.

“It’s a dream come true, I have to keep on enjoying the experience and learn as much as I can.

“I’m just trying to enjoy every minute of it, like I tried to enjoy every minute of the game.

“There were times when it was tough to enjoy because it was constantly back and forth and it was a tough encounter.

“It’s gutting now, but move forward a couple of days and I’ll look back on having enjoyed time on the field.

“I’ll take the positives from it,” he said.