The domestic rugby league season is behind us, barring the Championship Grand Final, meaning it’s time for the internationals and we’ve assessed England’s squad depth for their two-game series against Samoa.
England will take on Samoa at Wigan’s Brick Community Stadium on the 27th of October before hosting them in Headingley, six days later. The game at Wigan will be the first clash between the two nations since the Rugby League World Cup semi-final, a game settled in golden point thanks to a Stephen Crichton drop goal.
That’s a memory and moment that Shaun Wane and England will want to avenge this off-season.
It has been over five weeks since Shaun Wane named his 31-man ‘Performance Squad’ for the two matches but that figure will be cut down this week with a formal squad announcement coming.
Samoa have named 23 players in their squad that features a trio of Super League stars in John Asiata, Ricky Leutele and new Leeds Rhinos recruit Keenan Palasia.
Ahead of the formal announcement, we’ve looked at the depth in the previously-named 31-man squad to assess the depth that England have.
How England Rugby League squad depth stacks up
Full-back (1) – Jack Welsby
At full-back, there is only one man who will be in contention with Jack Welsby a cert to take the number one jersey for these two tests and potentially much of the next decade. Welsby captained England during the first two tests against Tonga in 2023 and he’s quickly becoming part of the furniture in the backline. He is the only outright full-back named, a strong hint at who will start, with likely back-ups including Herbie Farnworth and Mikey Lewis.
Wingers (4) – Matty Ashton, Tom Johnstone, Liam Marshall, Dom Young
England are very strong at producing wingers and the four named are hard to split. Super League top scorer Liam Marshall is in line for his England debut with the Wigan man playing the best rugby of his career. On his heels in the try-scoring charts was Matty Ashton with the Warrington man scoring 27 in 2024. Tom Johnstone had a quieter year that was hampered by injury and he could well be a casualty, whilst Dom Young returns after missing the 2023 series but shining during his first season with the Sydney Roosters.
Centres (4) – Herbie Farnworth, Harry Newman, Jake Wardle
Wane named just three centres to his squad but the three he has named include the best in Super League in Jake Wardle, one of the top two in the NRL in Herbie Farnworth after he was named to the Dream Team, and one of Super League’s most explosive players on his day in Harry Newman.
Halves (3) – Mikey Lewis, Harry Smith, George Williams
Within the 31-man squad, there is no depth beyond these three, but picking two of these three is an incredibly tough task. Wane’s three halves include the Man of Steel and Rugby League Writers and Broadcasters Player of the Year, Mikey Lewis, as well as Grand Final winner Harry Smith and England captain George Williams. It’s likely that Lewis could be the man to miss out on gameday but all three will make the slimmed-down squad.
Hookers (3) – Daryl Clark, Jez Litten, Danny Walker
As devastating as Brad O’Neill’s injury was, it made Shaun Wane’s job easier with the depth of hookers looking incredibly strong. Veteran Daryl Clark is supported by Dream Team representative Danny Walker and Grand Finalist Jez Litten.
Props (9) – Tom Burgess, Tyler Dupree, James Harrison, Ethan Havard, Chris Hill, Matty Lees, Mike McMeeken, Robbie Mulhern, Luke Thompson
Wane would name nine props to his 31-man squad and yet players such as George Delaney and Alex Walmsley of St Helens missed out, highlighting the incredible depth available. It would seem likely that Wane will cut a couple of these men given just how many there are. Tom Burgess has arrived in the country early whilst Luke Thompson has been handed a ban and will miss the first test, something that could influence selection.
Second-Row (4) – John Bateman, Ben Currie, Junior Nsemba, Kai Pearce-Paul
With so many props being carried it means that just four outright second-rowers are named with a Wigan, Warrington and NRL feel to the four men. Ben Currie had a brilliant season for Warrington where he was joined late on by John Bateman. Junior Nsemba showed himself to be the best second-rower in Super League whilst his former Wigan teammate Kai Pearce-Paul gets the nod after a strong debut NRL campaign.
Loose Forward (4) – Morgan Knowles, Elliot Minchella, Victor Radley, Morgan Smithies
The fact that only one of these men can start highlights the immense depth England has at loose forward with Dream Team member Elliot Minchella the most recent to don the number 13 shirt. In competition are St Helens’ Morgan Knowles and NRL stars Victor Radley and Morgan Smithies, with Radley offering strong versatility at hooker as well.