Six players who should have been named in Shaun Wane’s England squad

England Head Coach has named his 24 man England squad for the test series against Tonga with stars from Leeds Rhinos, Wigan Warriors and Warrington Wolves all named.

But some big names have been left out. Some of these are due to injury such as Herbie Farnworth, Jonny Lomax, Alex Walmsley and likely Jake Wardle and Mark Percival.

But plenty of players have been left out who are not injured but certainly deserved a call up to the squad.

So, here’s six players we think should have been named in the England squad for the Tonga series.

Cameron Smith (Leeds Rhinos)
The Leeds Rhinos loose-forward made the second most tackles in the Super League season showing that he can match the likes of Morgan Knowles in terms of work load. But he can also offer England an extra attacking edge as a ball playing 13 as we saw throughout the season. Elliot Minchella is a similar player unfortunate to miss out.

Morgan Smithies (Wigan Warriors)
Another 13 but one more like the 13s Shaun Wane prefers. With one of the best tackle percentages in Super League, he was excellent in the Grand Final and is set for a huge NRL move to Canberra Raiders. He continues to be unlucky to be left out of the England set up.

James Batchelor (Hull KR)
Hull KR had an excellent season as did James Batchelor. He was one player many mentioned when the squad was named. He had a great season and is the ideal international back row due to his excellent work rate and attacking edge.

Jez Litten (Hull KR)
With just two hookers named, Jez Litten is criminally unlucky not to be named having been named in the game against France earlier this year. Litten is an excellent nine ducking and darting and will one day be a shoe in alongside Danny Walker.

Josh Charnley (Leigh Leopards)
Another club who had an excellent season were the Leigh Leopards. Josh Charnley was excellent throughout the season scoring tries for fun throughout the campaign. He was one of the top try scorers in 2023 and arguably deserved to be rewarded by his former Wigan coach.

Matty Nicholson (Warrington Wolves)
Another player who featured against France, Nicholson was nominated for the Young Player of the Year award and was excellent throughout the season.