Lee Briers will captain Wales in the 2011 Gillette Rugby League Four Nations tournament.
The Warrington Wolves half-back returned to Wales last year, after a two-year absence, to help them win the European Cup and qualify for this year’s prestigious competition. He missed the final match against France due to injury with Gareth Thomas covering for him in his absence, but now returns to his skipper’s role.
He is expected to lead out the Wales side this Saturday in the pre-tournament warm-up game against Ireland at The Gnoll (kick-off 6pm) where coach Iestyn Harris hopes to give most of his squad a run-out. It will be his 21stappearance for Wales and will mean that he overtakes Harris to put him just five caps behind Wales legend Jim Sullivan, who is currently second in the Wales most appearances table.
Harris said: “I’m delighted that Lee will lead us into this year’s Four Nations tournament. He was our captain last year and was a strong leader. There was no reason whatsoever why he wasn’t going to retain his captaincy.
“Lee is a fantastic servant for Wales. He is our most experienced squad member, has become a great leader for our nation and has become a good role model for younger members of our squad.”
Briers, with nine tries, 28 goals and six drop goals for Wales is also in third place in the country’s scoring charts, with 98 points in his 20 appearances. He is just 31 points behind Sullivan in second place but will need to go a points scoring spree to overtake his coach. Harris still heads the pile with his 165 points in 20 outings for Wales.
Wales kick-off their international season with a warm-up match against Ireland this Saturday 22nd October at The Gnoll in Neath (kick-off 6pm). Tickets are priced £5 for concessions and £10 for adults in advance, going up to £6 and £12 respectively on the day. They can be bought by going to www.walesrugbyleague.co.uk.
Pictured: Lee Briers celebrates a Welsh try against Scotland in the 2010 European Cup