England will be hosting the 16th Rugby League World Cup this year, scheduled for 23rd October to 27th November. The tournament will bring together 16 teams, with England’s squad already confirmed for the tournament. England will be expected to put up a solid fight to defend their title this year, having won the last competition in October 2016.
Shaun Wane has already named a 35-man unchanged squad before his first training session as England’s head coach. Wane became coach Wayne Bennett’s successor 14 months ago, and he unveiled his elite squad in November. However, Wane has only met his players face-to-face only once because of the lockdown regulations.
The new coach met his men earlier in May at the Leeds Beckett University to prepare for their mid-season international. Following their preparation, the squad will go against Combined Nations All-Stars on 25th June at Warrington.
Coach Wane made his choice after BetFred Super League first-round matches, meaning the outstanding performances of half-back Gareth Widdop from Warrington Wolves and Hull’s full-back Jake Connor in the second round wasn’t considered. However, the ex-Wigan boss expects the team to go through a few changes as players try to get content with their positions, with more get-togethers held in May and early June.
Six out of the 28 players in the Super League are still nursing injuries, including 21-year-old Harry Newman from the Leeds Rhinos. Newman is the youngest player in the squad, still recovering from a leg injury, although Wane is still counting on him for the upcoming world cup. Fortunately, fans can wager on the games with Betway rugby betting, and there are plenty of options for Wane.
According to Wane, Harry Newman is a highly rated player, and he has a solid chance of playing in the World Cup despite his broken leg. The coach also believes his squad has real in-depth strength at the center, wing, and hooker. As such, Wane expects more players to come and go throughout the season, although the 35 players named reflects his current thinking.
All the players named in Wane’s squad are capable of playing to England’s standard, and they’re well aware of what’s expected of them at the international level. As such, most of the players in the squad are prepared to hit the heights required to defend their title and please Betway punters who believe in their ability to win the competition for the second time.
Wane’s squad will feature seven NRL players, but they won’t participate in their mid-summer match. However, they’ll be pushing for a place in the World Cup competition later this year.
Who Is In The Squad?
England’s squad includes John Bateman, Tom Burgess, Mike Cooper, Daryl Clark, Ben Currie, Herbie Farnworth, Niall Evalds, Luke Gale, Liam Farrell, Josh Griffin, Oliver Gildart, Ash Handley, Josh Hodgson, Zak Hardaker, Toby King, Tom Johnstone, Morgan Knowles, Paul McShane, Johny Lomax, Tommy Makinson, Mark Pervical, Dom Manfredi, Harry Newman, Joe Philbin, James Roby, Stefan Ratchford, Dan Sarginson, Luke Thompson, Ryan Sutton, Sam Tomkins, Kallum Watkins, Alex Walmsley, Goerge Williams, and Elliot Whitehead.
