HAVING already won the series with wins in the first two of three Tests against Tonga, England are expected to show a few changes today (Sat) in the final Test at Headingley, kick-off 2.30pm.
Head coach Shaun Wane has included in his 19-man squad four players for the first time in this series – Tyler Dupree, Robbie Mulhern, Morgan Smithies and local lad Josh Thewlis.
Dupree, the Wigan prop, aged 23, started his career at Leeds Rhinos and is now at Wigan Warriors after a spell at Oldham where he was a great favourite of the Roughyeds’ faithful, writes ROGER HALSTEAD,
Mulhern (29) is a prop with Leigh Leopards, while Smithies starred as a hard-working back-row forward for Wigan before signing a three-year deal with Canberra Raiders in Australia.
Thewlis, of course, is an Oldham lad who plays wing or full-back for Warrington Wolves. Aged 21, he is Super League’s Young Player of the Year and he joins the many young local lads who learned their trade at Waterhead before hitting the heights.
Wane will choose from these 19:
Ashton, Bateman, Burgess, Clark, Currie, Dupree, Hill, Johnstone, Lees, McMeeken, Mulhern, Newman, Smith, Smithies, Thewlis, Walker, Welsby, Whitehead, Williams.
Half-back George Williams, once of Wigan, then a star in Australia and now at Warrington, was suspended for the first two Tests, but is now available for selection.
Notable omissions include Mikey Lewis, who starred at half-back in the 22-18 first Test win at St Helens, loose-forward Victor Radley, and centre Toby King,
England won the second Test 14-4 at Huddersfield and have set their sights on a clean sweep but there is no love lost between them and Tonga are equally determined it won’t happen.
It’s a triangular international weekend for England whose Woman play Wales at noon and whose wheelchair team take on arch rivals France at 3.15pm on Sunday, all three games to be televised by the BBC.
