Today England prepare for the World Cup by taking on the hosts of the next tournament France at Warrington Wolves’ Halliwell Jones Stadium.
Coach Shaun Wane named a 40-man squad ahead of the game but on Monday there were 14 players withdrawn from the squad ahead of the game raising questions over how seriously Super League clubs take the international game.
However, the England boss and former Wigan Warriors coach Shaun Wane has claimed he has spoken to coaches and CEOs and they are all backing England and take the international game seriously.
“I’ve had meetings with all the Super League coaches and CEOs and they have my trust, I know they all want England to do well,” said Wane to BBC.
He went on to explain how the brilliant start to the Super League season has explained the withdrawals many of which were due to injury concerns.
He said: “The start we’ve had in Super League has been really tough and the way teams have being ripping in, there are going to be injuries, but that means there will be opportunities for a number of other young players.
“It’s down to a bit of everything, including fatigue.”
Wane in the end reduced his squad to a 19-man group ahead of today’s game.
