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England Senior and Knights candidates named

Manfredi, Farrell, Gildart and Hardaker to attend England Senior meeting

Marshall, Powell, Bibby, Partington, Smith, Smithies and Havard in Knights group

Four Wigan Warriors players have been named as candidates for Shaun Wane’s first England Rugby League senior squad and will attend a briefing on Monday 23rd March at Old Trafford.

England Head Coach Shaun Wane has invited 31 prospective Ashes candidates to a players’ gathering at Old Trafford on Monday 23 March – and included a further eight NRL-based players on his ‘watch list’ ahead of the autumn series against Australia.

Invites have been issued on the basis of Wane’s observations during the opening rounds of Betfred Super League XXV, and on insight gained from his discussions with club coaches.

Winger Dom Manfredi, as well as Liam Farrell, Zak Hardaker and Oliver Gildart will make up the four senior candidates representing the Warriors.

England Head Coach Shaun Wane explains: “It’s too early to be selecting Ashes squads – a lot can happen between now and the end of the season – but I’ve invited a group of players who are uppermost in my thoughts right now. I want to tell them that face-to-face and share with them my plans for the rest of the year.

“There are some very talented players, both in Super League and the NRL, and I’ll be monitoring their progress, week in, week out. I’m very excited about the prospect of working with them and the players who most impress will be the ones selected for the Ashes series.

“I realise that there are some notable exceptions at this stage, and I would say to those players is that this isn’t the squad, the door is never closed and outstanding form will be rewarded.”

England Knights

Also invited to the 2021 Rugby League World Cup Final venue are more than 30 players identified by Knights’ coach Paul Anderson as possibilities for his 2020 squad.

Seven Wiganer’s will join up with the Knights with Liam Marshall, Sam Powell, Jake Bibby, Morgan Smithies, Ollie Partington, Harry Smith and young forward Ethan Havard getting the nod.

Paul Anderson says: “I’m very excited to be part of a new era for England Rugby League and eager to help Shaun achieve the success that players and fans alike are desperate for. England Knights is an important part of the process and this is an opportunity for potential squad members to hear our plans first hand and understand how they can be a part of them.”

Old Trafford: Senior invites

Josh Charnley (Warrington Wolves)

Daryl Clark (Warrington Wolves)

Mike Cooper (Warrington Wolves)

Ben Currie (Warrington Wolves)

Niall Evalds (Salford Red Devils)

Liam Farrell (Wigan Warriors)

Luke Gale (Leeds Rhinos)

Oliver Gildart (Wigan Warriors)

Josh Griffin (Hull FC)

Zak Hardaker (Wigan Warriors)


Chris Hill (Warrington Wolves)

Jack Hughes (Warrington Wolves)

Tom Johnstone (Wakefield Trinity)

Josh Jones (Hull FC)

Jonny Lomax (St Helens)

Reece Lyne (Wakefield Trinity)

Jermaine McGillvary (Huddersfield Giants)

Paul McShane (Castleford Tigers)

Tommy Makinson (St Helens)

Dom Manfredi (Wigan Warriors)

Harry Newman (Leeds Rhinos)

Mark Percival (St Helens)

Joe Philbin (Warrington Wolves)

Stefan Ratchford (Warrington Wolves)

James Roby (St Helens)

Dan Sarginson (Salford Red Devils)

Scott Taylor (Hull FC)

Luke Thompson (St Helens)

Sam Tomkins (Catalans Dragons)

Alex Walmsley (St Helens)

Liam Watts (Castleford Tigers)

England Knights invites

Matthew Ashton (Warrington Wolves)

Jack Ashworth (St Helens)

Jake Bibby (Wigan Warriors)

Robert Butler (London Broncos)

Tom Davies (Catalans Dragons)

Matty English (Huddersfield Giants)

Ethan Havard (Wigan Warriors)

Toby King (Warrington Wolves)

George Lawler (Hull KR)

Matty Lees (St Helens)

Kruise Leeming (Leeds Rhinos)

Darnell McIntosh (Huddersfield Giants)

Michael McMeeken (Castleford Tigers)

Liam Marshall (Wigan Warriors)

Masimbaashe Matongo (Hull FC)

Greg Minikin (Hull KR)

Adam O’Brien (Huddersfield Giants)

Mikolaj Oledzki (Leeds Rhinos)

Oliver Partington (Wigan Warriors)

Sam Powell (Wigan Warriors)

Danny Richardson (Castleford Tigers)

Aaron Smith (St Helens)

Cameron Smith (Leeds Rhinos)

Harry Smith (Wigan Warriors)

Morgan Smithies (Wigan Warriors)

Jake Trueman (Castleford Tigers)

Danny Walker (Warrington Wolves)

Jack Walker (Leeds Rhinos)

Jake Wardle (Huddersfield Giants)

Jack Welsby (St Helens)

Matthew Whitley (Catalans Dragons)

Oliver Wilson (Huddersfield Giants)

https://www.wiganwarriors.com/news/2020 ... candidates

No Widdop I see, more to the point no Hastings. Can we naturalise Bevan French?

that list is noticeably short on the prop front.

Caboosegg wrote: ↑Tue Mar 03, 2020 4:53 pm that list is noticeably short on the prop front.

“I realise that there are some notable exceptions at this stage, and I would say to those players is that this isn’t the squad, the door is never closed and outstanding form will be rewarded.”

Caboosegg wrote: ↑Tue Mar 03, 2020 4:53 pm that list is noticeably short on the prop front.

josie andrews wrote: ↑Tue Mar 03, 2020 2:47 pm
Old Trafford: Senior invites

Mike Cooper (Warrington Wolves)

Chris Hill (Warrington Wolves)

Joe Philbin (Warrington Wolves)

Scott Taylor (Hull FC)

Luke Thompson (St Helens)

Alex Walmsley (St Helens)

Liam Watts (Castleford Tigers)

How many props do you want?

Now if you pointed out that that squad is short of halfbacks then you might have a point

Lomax/Gale and at a push Ratchford/Tomkins

There’s the nrl English contingent to add at some point

Southern Softy wrote: ↑Tue Mar 03, 2020 3:19 pm No Widdop I see, more to the point no Hastings. Can we naturalise Bevan French?

Wane was never going to pick someone born in Aus that qualifies through a grand parent that’s lived in Australia for 50 years.

Good on him for leaving out people like Widdop and Lockers.

Wigan_forever1985 wrote: ↑Tue Mar 03, 2020 6:58 pm There’s the NRL English contingent to add at some point

It's getting smaller, though.

Bateman
Whitehead
Hodgson

That's about it these days, isn't it?

moto748 wrote: ↑Tue Mar 03, 2020 9:39 pm

Wigan_forever1985 wrote: ↑Tue Mar 03, 2020 6:58 pm There’s the NRL English contingent to add at some point

It's getting smaller, though.

Bateman
Whitehead
Hodgson

That's about it these days, isn't it?

Sutton, Tom Burgess, Williams.

Sorry if this post is a bit 'Off Topic' but my thoughts in general are that it's a fantastic squad, the best strength in depth for decades when you add the NRL credits.

When you think about all those names, the quality is unmistakeable Wane, who has left out some notable International "has beens" like Widdop, Atkins, SOL (sadly, but true, ranking on his current form), Jake Connor (has more poor games than the odd eye-catching one), and Ryan Hall (flattered to deceive for some while).

Usually, we can have our moans about the squad, often in the past just picked on reputation, but these are, in the main, genuinely players in form and so, not as many grumbles from me about that.
And Wane by nature, will definitely put maximum pride back into the jersey after Bennett's mispicks, and is perhaps the reason he's omitted the "Aussie" born, but qualified players like Hastings ? I suppose if he's desperate to play for England, in both the Ashes and the W/Cup, I'm sure the player will make that known to Wane.