Bateman to Captain England
England Head Coach Shaun Wane has named his side to take on France this weekend, with Wigan’s John Bateman set to Captain the side.
England Head Coach Shaun Wane has named his 17 players to take on France at Perpignan’s Stade Gilbert Brutus on Saturday (23rd October, 2:30pm).
Bateman, whose 16 England caps make him the most experienced international in Wane’s 17, will Captain a side containing eight players who will receive their first England international cap*.
Wane says: “There’s a very positive mood in the camp, a great camaraderie. The lads have trained well and we’re ready to go.
“We have some outstanding leaders in the team, including John Bateman who’ll be captain. I’ve known John since he was a kid, I trust him, I know what he’s capable of and he’s strong under pressure. And we have other strong leaders too, like Jonny Lomax in the halves and Mike Cooper in the front row.
“This is also a chance for the players to put a marker down for the World Cup. Some of them haven’t featured in an England set up before and I’m really excited for them. Representing your country is a dream and I’m looking forward to seeing what they can do in an England shirt.”
England team: Niall Evalds* (Castleford Tigers); Tom Davies* (Catalans Dragons), Reece Lyne (Wakefield Trinity), Zak Hardaker (Wigan Warriors), Tommy Makinson (St Helens); Jonny Lomax (St Helens), Jordan Abdull* (Hull KR); Alex Walmsley (St Helens), Paul McShane* (Castleford Tigers), Mike Cooper (Warrington Wolves); John Bateman (Wigan Warriors, Capt.), Liam Farrell (Wigan Warriors); Morgan Knowles* (St Helens). Interchanges: Ben Currie (Warrington Wolves); Kruise Leeming* (Leeds Rhinos); Mikolaj Oledzki* (Leeds Rhinos); Joe Philbin* (Warrington Wolves)
France versus England will be shown live on BBC TV on Saturday 23rd October – part of an international double-header also featuring the England Women’s team against their French counterparts. The Women’s match will be shown live on BBC2 with a midday kick-off UK-time – the first England Women’s international to be broadcast on terrestrial TV – followed by live coverage of the Men’s international on BBC1 at 2:30pm.
