Shaun Wane addresses the mass withdrawals from England squad

England’s first game since their World Cup semi-final defeat to Samoa is fast approaching and coach Shaun Wane is very excited by the prospect.

“I’m genuinely excited, especially being with them the last few days. What I wanted to see was how they behaved in camp, how they reacted to camp and the intense training sessions and they’ve been great,” he said on BBC Radio Merseyside.

“They’ve been absolutely fantastic and I’m genuinely looking forward to Saturday now. I’m glad I’ve picked such a young squad.”

He went on to acknowledge the intensity of the Super League season so far:

“The quality of the games and how many young players have come forward is great. You look at the players in camp from the World Cup in Kai and Jack, Jack’s obviously been around us a long time so him being around the young players will be immense.”

This is why he has not been disappointed by the number of withdrawals that have taken place as he explained: “No, definitely not. It happens. The start we’ve had in Super League is really tough and the way teams have ripped in there’s bound to be injuries, and that’s what has happened.

“That’s an opportunity for another young player and that’s why I’m hoping it’s going to be a full house on Saturday.

When asked which players have impressed him the most, he said: “James Harrison has trained real well, I like him. He got interviewed last night and we saw a different side of him within the group and he’s been really really good.

“Matty Ashton has killed it. He’s trained really well but there’s a lot of young players that have.

“Jack is always going to be really good for me but seeing these young players come through, get the chance and get their first cap has got me really excited.”