England boss Shaun Wane says St Helens had the final say on Jonny Lomax pulling out of the World Cup and the player is “devastated.”
Stand-off Lomax, 32, missed out on the 24-man squad due to the ruptured bicep he’s being playing with since April. England hoped he’d be able to push on for a few more weeks but their main playmaker has been ruled out along with club-mate Mark Percival (knee). Asked if it boiled down to Lomax in the end, Wane said: “No, it’s Saints.
“It’s Saints’ medical staff and Jonny where he thinks he’s at. I trust him. I believe him in what he’s saying: he couldn’t do another eight, nine weeks and if he says that I’m never going to try and persuade a player.”
