Harry Smith has been named alongside captain George Williams in England’s half-back roles for their upcoming Rugby League World Cup opening match against Tonga, leaving Mikey Lewis completely out of the matchday side. <\/p>\n
Lewis, who narrowly pipped the 2025 Super League Man of Steel, Jake Connor, to earn a coveted place in England’s initial tournament squad, has not even managed to secure a spot on the interchange bench for Saturday’s crucial fixture. The Hull KR playmaker endured an inconsistent domestic year, yet he still did enough on balance to convince England head coach Brian McDermott that he deserved inclusion in the wider selection alongside captain Williams, the Warrington stand-off, and Wigan Warriors star Smith. However, reality has bitten for the talented half-back, who now finds himself designated as one of just three non-playing reserves, keeping company with Ben Currie and Ben Talty as the team prepares for their opening tournament challenge.<\/p>\n
England are set to face a formidable Tonga side in Perth on Saturday, kicking off their tournament campaign in high-stakes fashion. Following this opening fixture, McDermott\u2019s men will remain in the same Australian city to take on France on October 24, before rounding off their group stage commitments with a journey to Wollongong to face Papua New Guinea on October 30. <\/p>\n
The pressure is on for the squad, and McDermott\u2014who stepped into the international hotseat to succeed Shaun Wane back in April\u2014has wasted no time in making bold selection choices. Alongside the half-back conundrum, the new head coach has made a major, headline-grabbing selection call at full-back. AJ Brimson has been chosen ahead of Jack Welsby to wear the number one shirt in the key role for England’s first game in Group B-C, signaling a tactical shift under the new regime.<\/p>\n
McDermott has been notably open about his strategic philosophy, indicating ahead of the tournament that he was keen to leverage heritage players\u2014those individuals who qualify to pull on the England jersey through their family background\u2014to ensure the national side fields the strongest possible squad on the international stage. <\/p>\n
Among those benefiting from this approach is the Australia-born Brimson, who previously made his senior England debut during last year’s high-profile Ashes series against the Kangaroos. Brimson is just one of four such heritage players included in the matchday thirteen, a group that also features England debutant Max King. The Bulldogs prop, King, boasts a unique familial link to the sport in England; he was born in Huddersfield while his Australian father, David King, was actively playing professional rugby league there during his own career. <\/p>\n
King lines up alongside another notable debutant in the squad, Hugo Savala. The exciting talent arrives in the national setup on the back of a stellar domestic campaign as part of the Sydney Roosters’ NRL Grand Final-winning squad. The formidable Victor Radley rounds out the heritage contingent named in the starting thirteen. <\/p>\n
The announcement of the England men’s team was part of a broader, coordinated unveiling of all men’s and women’s squads scheduled for the opening round of matches. The rosters for the tournament’s initial fixtures, spanning Thursday through Sunday, were officially made public on Tuesday at 06:00 BST, setting the stage for what promises to be an intense festival of international rugby league.<\/p>\n
In tandem with the men’s team announcements, England women’s head coach Stu Barrow also stepped forward to name his squad for their own eagerly anticipated tournament opener against Wales, which is likewise scheduled for Saturday in Perth. Barrow\u2019s selection blends established international experience with exciting new blood, handing international debuts to both Jasmin Strange and Connie Boyd, while uncapped prospect Hope Millard has been named among the interchanges and will be hoping to make her mark from the bench if called upon by the coaching staff.<\/p>\n
The full team selections announced for the opening weekend offer a clear look at how both England squads intend to line up as they chase international glory. <\/p>\n
For the men’s team, the starting line-up features AJ Brimson at full-back, flanked by wingers Dom Young and Hugo Savala, with Herbie Farnworth and Zach Eckersley forming the center partnership. Captain George Williams and Harry Smith occupy the crucial half-back roles, while the forward pack comprises Max King, hooker Brad O’Neill, Morgan Knowles, Junior Nsemba, Kai Pearce-Paul, and Victor Radley. The interchange bench for the men consists of Jez Litten, Luke Thompson, Ethan Havard, Sam Walters, Jack Welsby, and Matty Ashton.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, the England women’s team for their opening clash against Wales features Fran Goldthorp at the back, supported by wingers Anna Davies and Amelia Brown, with Georgia Wilson and Connie Boyd in the centers. Isabel Rowe and Georgia Roche make up the halves, while the starting pack includes Mary Coleman, hooker Keara Bennett, Hollie-Mae Dodd, Jasmin Strange, Eva Hunter, and Megan Williams. The women’s interchange options are rounded out by Jodie Cunningham, Vicky Whitfield, Jenna Foubister, and Hope Millard.<\/p>\n
As preparations in Perth reach their final stages and the players settle into their tactical structures ahead of the weekend, the excitement surrounding the tournament continues to build across both camps.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Harry Smith has been named alongside captain George Williams in England’s half-back roles for their upcoming Rugby League World Cup opening match against Tonga, leaving Mikey Lewis completely out of the matchday side. Lewis, who narrowly pipped the 2025 Super League Man of Steel, Jake Connor, to earn a coveted place in England’s initial tournament […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":17,"featured_media":2731,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[705],"tags":[707,667,709,708,4021,1939,4336,4337,1677,1855,4334,262,4333,4331,706,4335,4332,333],"class_list":["post-2732","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sports","tag-athletics","tag-back","tag-england","tag-games","tag-half","tag-league","tag-lewis","tag-misses","tag-opener","tag-partnership","tag-rugby","tag-scores","tag-selected","tag-smith","tag-sports","tag-tonga","tag-williams","tag-world"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tcjsj.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2732","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tcjsj.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tcjsj.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tcjsj.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/17"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tcjsj.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2732"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/tcjsj.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2732\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tcjsj.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2731"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tcjsj.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2732"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tcjsj.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2732"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tcjsj.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2732"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}