Photo Credit - Josh Knowles
The famous Headingley stadium hosts the final match of a successful series that England have already wrapped up, after victories in St. Helens and Huddersfield. Nevertheless, coach Shaun Wayne will be insisting on a strong performance to end proceedings.
The third and final match may not be able to change the outcome of the series, but it should still be a fierce and exciting contest. The hosts can play with freedom having nothing to lose, and Tonga will push in the hope of ending their tour positively.
The tourists have so far done themselves proud. They have battled hard and pushed England all the way in both games, only being beaten by a lack of fitness or a rare glimpse of brilliance. However, after their month long training camp the fitness levels of the squad will be at its peak, which could cause the Lions some problems.
England have looked very promising under Wayne, there’s been plenty of murmurs over squad selection, but it’s easy to forget that plenty of his first choice squad were unavailable for this series, which just amplifies the job he’s done so far.
After a disappointing end to the World Cup, the new English era in rugby league has started in a promising manner. The Mate Ma’a are still searching for their first win over the Lions, and Saturday will be the perfect chance for them to achieve that.
Tonga’s head coach Cristian Wolf is expected to make minimal changes to the squad that featured last week, whilst Wayne has made a few to his England side. Tyler Dupree, Morgan Smithies and Josh Thewlis all receive their first call ups this series, replacing Liam Farrell, Toby King and Victor Radley.
Meanwhile the return of the captain George Williams from suspension sees the inform man of the series Mikey Lewis dropped from the squad in controversial fashion.
The match will be live on BBC from 2:30pm on Saturday afternoon.
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