Shaun Wane makes three changes with bold call in the centres

England face Tonga in the third and final test today at Headingley and head coach Shaun Wane has given a major shake-up to his matchday squad from the previous two victories.

A win in the test at Headingley will earn England a 3-0 series win and send the Tongans home without the taste of victory on English soil. It will be the first competitive England match at the Leeds stadium since the World Cup in 2000.

The most notable change is obviously the return of captain George Williams who makes his first start in this series following his two match suspension. Hull KR’s Mikey Lewis is the unlucky player who falls out of contention on the back of Williams return.

Jack Welsby also loses out on the armband having deputised for Williams in the first two tests but the St Helens star remains at full-back, England’s clear first choice in the number one shirt for the foreseeable future.

Wane had rocked the boat with some of the changes to his 19-man squad with Wigan Warriors’ Grand Final winning captain left out completely, having played just minutes in the second test meaning his series saw minimal game time.

There had been a thought that Farrell would be relied upon to fill in at centre given that his Grand Final winning teammate Toby King was ruled out of the squad through injury, however Wane opted to replace King with Warrington Wolves man Josh Thewlis. Another player called up due to injury was Morgan Smithies who replaced Victor Radley, the NRL star struggling with a groin injury.

Of those two call-ups only Smithies will feature with the team now confirmed, however Smithies is limited to the role of 18th man which means that Leigh Leopards’ prop Robbie Mulhern will play loose forward instead.

King is replaced by Warrington’s Ben Currie and Matty Ashton retains his spot on the wing ahead of teammate Josh Thewlis. Williams’ presence in the halves means that there are three Wire players in the starting 13 with Danny Walker once again on the bench to spell on.

Tyler Dupree also gets a shot from the bench with Tom Burgess and Matty Lees selected as the starting props in a pack featuring John Bateman and the retiring Elliott Whitehead.

England’s Squad to face Tonga

1: Jack Welsby
2: Tom Johnstone
3: Harry Newman
4: Ben Currie
5: Matty Ashton
6: George Williams
7: Harry Smith
8: Tom Burgess
9: Daryl Clark
10: Matty Lees
11: John Bateman
12: Elliott Whitehead
13: Robbie Mulhern
Interchanges
14: Danny Walker
15: Tyler Dupree
16: Chris Hill
17: Mike McMeeken
18th Man: Morgan Smithies