England Academy coach Dave Elliott has named an 18-man squad to take on France at Odsal Stadium on Friday, June 15 (6.30pm). The Academy side go up against France as part of a double-header which will also see the England Women team in action against their French counterparts (4.30pm).
The Academy squad features six players from Wigan Warriors while Leeds Rhinos (four) and St Helens (three) are joined by sole representatives from Warrington Wolves, Bradford Bulls, Salford City Reds, Huddersfield Giants and Widnes Vikings.
“I’m very pleased with the talent we have in this squad,” said Elliott. “We’ve got some very promising players and some experienced heads in there as well so I’m looking forward to seeing how they come together. The game against France will be a great test for this group. France are always very tough and physical at this age level so they’ll be a good challenge for us. It also gives us the opportunity to test our lads out and see where we are at this stage and how our preparation is coming together.
“We’ll be looking for a good team performance as we continue building towards this summer’s tour of Australia which will be massive for us.”
ENGLAND ACADEMY
Jordan Baldwinson (Leeds Rhinos, Hunslet Warriors), John Bateman (Bradford Bulls, Dudley Hill), Joe Burgess (Wigan Warriors, Ince Rose Bridge), Connor Farrell (Wigan Warriors, Wigan St Pats), Jonathan Ford (Salford City Reds, Blackbrook Royals), Tom Gilmore (Widnes Vikings, Halton Hornets), Ryan Hampshire (Wigan Warriors, Normanton Knights), Jordan Harper (Leeds Rhinos, Normanton Knights), Josh Johnson (Huddersfield Giants, Saddleworth), Rob Mulhern (Leeds Rhinos, Normanton Knights), Mark Percival (St Helens, Halton Hornets), James Saltonstall (Warrington Wolves, Siddal), Dominic Speakman (St Helens, Halton Hornets), Liam Sutcliffe (Leeds Rhinos, Hunslet Warriors), Ryan Sutton (Wigan Warriors, Wigan St Pats), Luke Thompson (St Helens, Pilkington Recs), Lewis Tierney (Wigan Warriors, Wigan St Pats), George Williams (Wigan Warriors, Ince Rose Bridge)