Brian Noble MBE has his say on the England squad

The former Great Britain International and head coach spoke about Shaun Wane’s England selection ahead of the game against the Combined Nations All Stars on Friday night.

England squad selection has caused a debate in recent weeks with big named players missing out on the squad. James Roby, Gareth Widdop and Betfred Super League’s top try-scorer Ryan Hall all missed out.

Looking at the players who didn’t make the squad Brian named Widdop as a player he would have chosen.

“The obvious candidate who wasn’t chosen is Gareth Widdop. He is up there in relation to the way he has been playing this year. In the Man of Steel table he is fourth, he is has been playing very well. In the games I have seen him play, He has looked the best player on the pitch. It is surprising that he is not in the squad, but I understand Wane’s ideas”.

Possibly one of the biggest shocks is the absence of Ryan Hall.  After a superb start to his first season at Hull Kingston Rovers, he sits at the top of the Super Leagues Top Metre Maker and Try scorer table. The winger was a big part of Wayne Bennetts England squad for the 2017 World Cup, which saw his side fall just short in the final, losing 6-0 to Australia.

“I think you have to be cognitive, if you are choosing an England team on how has been playing well and who hasn’t, he has to be in there being the top try scorer- he is doing something right. He went to Sydney, had a bit of an injury but then couldn’t quite break into the team, but that isn’t a reflection on how good the player is; they had some outstanding players there and when he played I thought he played really well.”

“In the last World Cup, I thought he and Jermaine McGillvary were the best wingers in the tournament. If you throw away that kind of experience, you really have to make sure that the person you are putting in is better than what you have got rid of. Hall for me would be a certain pick”.

Warrington Wolves Daryl Clark and Castleford’s Paul McShane have been the two hookers selected in the England squad. Having played as a Hooker in his playing days at Bradford, Cronulla Sharks and Wakefield Trinity. Brian had his say on who his starting hooker would be.

“I think James Roby has been the best nine we have had in a long time. I would put him up there with the likes of Cameron Smith – I am a big fan of James Roby. I understand what Josh Hodgson does week in week out at the Canberra Raiders. So he has competed at the highest level for a long time, but the consistency in James Roby is there. If you are looking for line breaks, you get that from McShane and Clark. For me it would be Roby and Hodgson, I think they get the team around the field and control the game”.

The two most talked about positions is who will play at full-back and who will be the half-back pairing. With a handful of world-class full-backs throughout Super League Brian named Sam Tomkins as his first-choice pick. But his choice of who to play in the halves was a lot harder.

“ I think Tomkins is a shoe-in for full-back. His form has been excellent and he has been influential this season. In the halves, if you pick Luke Gayle you have to give him the purse string, you have to say ‘you are going to run this’. For me, George Williams is a definite starter. So you have to look at Widdop and Jonny Lomax scrapping it out for the other spot”.

England face the Combined Nations All Stars on Friday night live on Sky Sports at the Halliwell Jones Stadium. The game will give Shaun Wane a great insight into who he will pick for the Rugby League World Cup coming up at the end of the year.

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