Dominic Young draws Martin Offiah comparisons after England beat France in Rugby League World Cup

It was the moment that brought the fans in Bolton to their feet and left them screaming in delight.

With England leading 36-12 against France and 14 minutes left on the clock, winger Dominic Young intercepted a pass on his own tryline and set off at speed.

Roared on by the home crowd, there was no stopping the 21-year-old as he left the French defence trailing before touching down his fourth try in his first two Tests.

So impressive has his impact been in this World Cup, BBC TV pundits drew comparisons with legendary England and Great Britain winger Martin Offiah.

"There are scorch marks on the grass, he's that fast," said Wales head coach John Kear on BBC TV.

"It was a bit like Martin Offiah back in the day. He was flying," said former England head coach Steve McNamara.

"The whole crowd erupted," added former England star Jamie Jones-Buchanan. "It was like the 100m final at an Olympics."

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'A superstar in the making'

Young made his debut in England's final warm-up match against Fiji in front of a handful of fans in Salford.

However, he burst onto the international stage with two tries in the thumping victory over Samoa last weekend and followed it up with two more against France.

Before the tournament, Young spoke about wanting to "prove a point" in England after not being given first-team opportunities at Huddersfield and moving to Australia to play for Newcastle Knights.

Now back on home soil for the first time since leaving in 2019 he is doing just that and he delighted the fans with his quick-fire double.

His first try at the University of Bolton Stadium was an easy run in after a lay-off from Jack Welsby but his second will leave fans talking about it until their next game.

Having seen Australia's Josh Addo-Carr rip Scotland apart with four tries on Friday night, a footrace between Young and the NRL's quickest player would be an intriguing prospect in the latter stages of the competition.

The 21-year-old, in full flight, is a joy to behold, pumping his long legs like a racehorse galloping down the final furlong.

"He makes you dare to dream of England winning the World Cup," said former England international Jon Wilkin.

"He is a try scorer, he is a star, he has lit up the World Cup."

The moment Young gets the ball the crowd expects something to happen.

"He is a superstar in the making," said former England captain Jamie Peacock. "When he gets the ball in his hands the crowd comes alive. You can feel the excitement.

"He has moments of individual brilliance but he's also got some fantastic team-mates who are putting him in the right place at the right time to score some wonderful tries."

Young 'needs fine-tuning'

Ryan Hall registered the two opening tries in the game to take his tally to 37 for England, moving joint-third on the all-time list on the international stage.

"It is great training with Dom," Hall said afterwards. "He is a young athlete and is still learning the game. He has obvious raw talents which he has displayed and he will get better and better with age."

But the 34-year-old, who has scored 12 World Cup tries from three tournaments, urged a word of caution on the fledgling winger.

"There is something I need to work on with him," said Hall cryptically without revealing what that something is.

"He needs fine-tuning in a couple of areas but his head is like a sponge and he will absorb everything and will pick things up."

Young's place on the right wing looks nailed on but head coach Wane now has a selection dilemma on the left flank, whether to stick with veteran Hall or bring back Tommy Makinson.

Whoever gets the nod will be aiming to help maintain England's 100% record in the final group game against Greece in Sheffield next week.

Get through that unscathed and the real tests start emerging in the knockout stage.